Devils In The Details
by Rapidfyrez
Summary: All he wanted was to help his dad. To not be a burden. So when the man came to him with a contract, one that was supposed to help, how could he say no? Thing is? There's always a catch...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Contract

_Jasper High…_

It was a bright and sunny day in Jasper. Not a cloud in the sky to hide the gentle yellow glow of the sun as it shone over the town. One could not really call Jasper big, or well known, or even a city for that matter. It was just a small town in the middle of nowhere, nothing interesting about it.

Such a thing though hardly bothered the students of Jasper High. No, they didn't care about how obscure their town was. They were more concerned with one thing. It was the end of the first day of school. The bell had rung, and the students flooded out towards the parking lot to return home, work at their part time jobs, or do whatever it is High school students do in their free time.

Two such students were exiting the school at this very moment. One was a tall young man with pale skin, fiery red hair, and covered in freckles. The other was a slightly shorter young man with slightly darker skin, ebony hair, and stormy blue eyes.

Their names were Vince Thompson and Jack Darby. And the two were close friends. The two boys had known each other since pre-school. After all, their families had gone to the same college, and both of their mothers worked at the same hospitals. That's how the two had met, and they had forged a friendship since then, nearly inseparable. They were more like brothers then they were friends.

At the moment, both freshman were talking about a subject that they had great interest in. Cars and motorcycles. Vince at the moment was dominating the conversation with talk of his plans once he had his license.

"Urbana 500 man. My dad got this wrecked model from a friend that works at the church. He and I are going to restore it, trick it out. Flames and everything." Vince smiled widely and patted his friend on the back, "You should come over sometime, check it out."

Jack shrugged, "Maybe Vince. I always preferred motorcycles honestly. Also, flames?"

The red head shrugged, "They look cool!" he protested, before adding, "Not like your one to talk. Look at your ride." he pointed at the parking lot.

Jack followed where he was pointing and smiled widely. Parked in the parking lot was an old fashioned custom chopper. A lone headlight rested on the front of the vehicle, and its gas tank was painted blue with bright flames etched into them.

And sitting atop it was a figure in blue jeans, with big black biker boots, a leather jacket, and a silver helmet with tinted visor. The figure removed his helmet to reveal a man in his early thirties. He had pale skin, ebony hair, and a light stubble along his face.

A half smile spread across the man's face and Jack grinned, "Well Vince," he said quickly, "That's a little different."

"How?" his friend demanded.

"My dad has sense of taste in bikes," Jack said and bounded over to his dad.

Robert Darby let out a laugh when he son came to a stop in front of him, "Dad!" he greeted happily.

Jacks dad tussled his hair while chuckling, "Hey kiddo." he greeted. He had a strong but kind voice to him. One that Jack always took comfort in ever since he was young.

"I thought the doctor said you couldn't ride for a full month?" he asked.

His father had just gotten out of a heart surgery less than two weeks ago. A rare heart condition that skipped a generation had left him with a weak heart. Robert had lived with it all his life, pushing past it until it finally got to him, nearly killing him with a heart attack. So at his wife's insistence, he'd taken a heart replacement surgery.

Technically he was supposed to stay at home to let his body adapt, but… Robert was never one to listen to rules.

"Yeah, he did." Robert coughed before grinning lazily, "But it was more of a 'suggestion' then an order."

Jack got onto the back of his dads bike and put his own silver helmet on. He wrapped his arms around his dads waist and felt the engine rumble to life, "So if your doctor's orders are suggestions…does that mean I don't have to do my homework too?"

Robert looked over his shoulder at Jack, "Really Jack?"

He smiled innocently behind his helmet, "Just asking."

"You're horrible." his father commented, backing up out of his parking spot. Jack waved goodbye to Vince and the two rumbled out of the school parking lot.

"I'm just practicing what you taught me!" Jack yelled over the engine.

His father let out a round of coughs and shook his head, "I've created a monster." he rasped.

Jack frowned, "You alright dad." he asked. His dad seemed to be coughing and awful lot…

Robert waved it off casually, "I'm fine Jack. Just a minor cold is all."

"You sure?" with his heart condition and the surgery having just taken place, he wanted to be sure…

"I'm sure Jack," Robert replied as they pulled up at an intersection, "Trust your old man, okay?"

Jack sighed, "If you say so old man."

"Thank you." his father said, smiling at the jab. The two had a very interesting relationship of exchanging the occasional joke or insult at times. According to him and his mother it was practically ingrained into the family.

The light turned green and Robert rumbled forward, "So," he started, changing the subject, "How was your first day of high school?"

Jack shrugged as they drove along, "Okay I guess. Kinda boring."

"Did you at least pay attention in class?" it was no secret to Jacks parents that paying attention in class was not his forte.

"Yeah…sure…" Jack looked around innocently behind his father.

Robert chuckled as they pulled onto their home street. Houses lined either side of the road, all of them nearly identical and apart of Jaspers attempt to become a larger city and actually register on the map.

"Well at least you have my school habits," Robert coughed as they pulled up to one of many identical houses and into the drive way.

Jack removed his helmet hopped off while Robert stopped for a moment and removed his helmet, "Head on in and start on your homework Jack. I'll get the mail for your mother."

Nodding, the young teen jogged inside closing the door behind him. Robert smiled and stood off the bike while stretching his back. After feeling his vertebrate pop into place, Robert strolled on up to the mail box and popped it open.

He rummaged through the junk mail, bills, and personal letters until one caught his eye. It was from the local hospital. Probably an update on his blood test he took a week after the surgery. No strenuous activity for a full month. His poor wife was going crazy on that rule, and the sooner he found out he could stop being so careful the better.

Slipping his finger under the edge of the envelope, he ripped it open and shook out the contents. Pulling the paper out, he began reading through it. The mail in his hands dropped to the ground and he felt his blood go cold…

_Later That Evening…_

One would not take Jack for being a studious worker. His attitude and general actions suggested otherwise. Yet he had worked diligently through the day on the pile of homework his teachers had so graciously dumped on him the very first day of school.

'High school is fun!' his family had told him. Ha!

Despite the boredom, Jack did eventually make finish his homework long after his mother had come home. Stretching his back and shaking his hand to get the feeling back into it, Jack looked out the window to see the crescent moon starting to rise.

Its soft light drifted into his simple room. A small thing with a single bed in the middle and a desk pushed against the wall. Not much, but he didn't need much. Having a nurse as a mother and a mechanic as a father didn't lend them much money, but Jack didn't care. Things were stable, his life was stable. That's all that really mattered to him.

After packing his homework away, Jack exited his room and walked out into the hall. He strolled on into the living room kitchen combo to see it was…empty.

Jack quirked an eyebrow at that. Normally his mom and dad would be watching television in here together. He knew mom was home, so there was no reason for them to not be out here, so…where were they?

He started back down the hall to his room, when he heard a noise from his parents room. Walking over, he stopped and put an ear to the door. It took him a moment to register the noise as…as his mother crying.

Immediately instinct took over as he reached for the door handle. His hand wrapped around it and froze as he heard his father's voice talk to her.

"Honey, calm down, it's not that big a deal…"

His mothers sniffling stopped for a brief moment, "Not that big a deal…Robert…it's HIV… it doesn't…get any bigger then that…"

Jack blinked a few times as that registered. His dad…HIV… that….how!?

"These things happen June…" his father's voice sounded fragile, weak. Like it was about to break at any moment. Jack realized he was trying very hard to stay strong for his mothers sake.

"It was just a… mistake with the blood packs…they had no idea that was like that." his father rasped.

"They should have known!" his mother cried, "Been more careful then that! Mistakes like that shouldn't happen anymore!"

"But it did June…" Robert sighed, "And…nothing can be done about it…"

He heard his mother hug him tightly, "Robert…we can't afford treatment like this, our life insurance doesn't…"

"I know June, I know…" Robert cooed, "We'll figure something out. Get the money somehow. I'm not leaving you and Jack. Not now, not yet."

Jack didn't listen to anything else. He didn't need to. He'd heard enough.

He backed away from the door and stumbled off down the hall. He walked past the kitchen into the garage where he and his dad's bikes were being kept. The garage door was open letting the moonlight spill in. Both bikes were set against the wall very carefully.

Jack approached his bike, a bright white dirt bike. Robert had bought him a dirt bike a year ago so he could get around town easier if need be. It was better than biking for sure, and Jack loved it.

He ran a finger over the handle bars, "It's…worth a lot…" he murmured to himself. It wouldn't be perfect, but…it would buy them time. He didn't really need it all that bad, did he?

"What a shame that would be…" a smooth voice said from behind.

Jack whirled around to face the mysterious voice and froze. A man stood at the edge of the garage, silhouetted by the moon light behind him. All Jack could make out of him was that he wore a long black coat with silver buttons.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" he demanded, his voice remaining surprisingly even and strong.

The man walked forward, "Names, titles. They don't really mean much to me." the man said casually.

Walking into the light of the garage, Jack saw that his skin was a pasty white. He had greasy black hair slicked back on his skull, giving him the appearance of a skeleton almost. The color of his eyes were ash grey, and held the look of a man who wasn't entirely stable.

"As for why I am here?" a smile spread across his face. His teeth where perfectly straight and white…too perfect.

"I heard about your plight, Jack." he declared.

Jack backed towards the door, which was now closed, "H-how do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you Jack," the man insisted. Jacks eyes flicked to the garage and he considered making a run for it. Whoever this guy was, he was bad news he knew that much.

"Like for example, your father was just diagnosed with HIV. Nasty stuff."

Jack froze and looked at the man, who wore a knowing smirk on his face, "Where did you hear that?"

"As I said. I know much about you Jack." the man let out a sad sigh, "A shame about your father though. Losing a dad at such an age isn't easy. Your mother must be destroyed by the very prospect."

A feeling of anger bubbled up in Jack, "Leave my mother out of this." he warned.

The man raised a single hand in a stop gesture, "Jack Jack Jack. It's more than a bit rude to insult the man that can give your family the money it needs."

Jack paused and his anger subsided for the moment, "What? You have…Why would you give us money? What do you want for it?"

He almost looked offended by this question, "I'm just a good Samaritan trying to help an unfortunate family."

Jack glared at him and he actually had the nerve to chuckle, "Not buying that hmm? Very well Jack. Call me a business man of sorts. And I have a proposition for you."

"What kind of 'proposition'?" Jack asked warily. If this man could get them the money they needed…

The man smiled, "I will give you and your family all the money you'll ever need to live stably, and in exchange all I want is…your soul."

It took a moment for that to sink in to Jack, and even then he wasn't sure he heard that right, "I'm sorry…what?"

The man's smile never wavered, and he pulled something out from his jacket. It was a rolled piece of parchment, which he handed to Jack. He eyed the man warily and cautiously took the roll from his hands and unfurled it.

A contract was scrawled across the parchment in elegant writing. Jack read it over while this man continued to speak, "In exchange for your soul, I will make sure your family never needs to fear money issues again. All you need do is sign."

He presented a pen from his sleeve to Jack.

Jack looked from the contract to the pen and then back again. All the money they would ever need. He knew that with the proper treatment, people could live for decades with HIV. At the very least his dad could live a comfortable existent. And mom wouldn't have to lose him…

"Give me the pen." he growled.

The man smiled triumphantly and handed it to Jack, "Excellent choice son. This time tomorrow, you'll never have to worry about money again."

Jack scowled and gripped the pen. There was a sudden sharp pinch in his index finger and he dropped the pen with a hiss of pain. The pen vanished in a puff of smoke and a small drop of blood dripped form his hand onto the paper.

Fire scrawled across the paper, and written at the bottom in neat text was his signature.

_Jackson William Darby._

And then the parchment burst into flames before vanishing, "And it's done!" the man said happily.

Jack looked up at him with a glare, "You better keep your end of the bargain." he threatened.

The man started walking off, "Don't worry Jack. We have a contract now. Tomorrow you'll have all the money you need, I promise you that."

And suddenly without warning…he vanished in a puff of smoke.

With the mysterious man gone, Jack suddenly felt his strength leave him. He leaned against the wall with a hand to his head and his body trembling.

"O-oh god…" he stuttered, "What have I-I done…?"

_The Following Day…_

Jack sat outside the school alone, his thoughts on the mysterious man from last night. He'd given him what he wanted, all he needed to know now was that he'd fulfilled his end of the bargain…

And to know that, he needed to see his dad.

Robert had talked with him about his condition that morning, telling him that even though he was sick, he didn't have to worry about infecting Jack as long as they didn't exchange blood. He also had said this was his battle to fight and that he should continue on with life as if nothing had changed…

Jack looked down at his hands, "I'm sorry dad…" he whispered, "But I couldn't let you fight this alone… I wasn't going to lose you."

And even if the cost was great, Jack felt he'd made the right decision. Maybe he would pay for it, but… his parents were happy. And all his life that's all Jack wanted, was to make his parents happy. He hadn't been a planned birth. His parents had wanted to wait until after his mother graduated to have kids but…

Regardless, he always tried to pull his own weight. It was the least he could do for them. They deserved it as far as he was concerned.

Vince came out and sat next to him on the school steps, "Hey man…" he greeted.

"Hey…" Jack replied half heartedly.

Vince rubbed the back of his head, "I heard about your dad last night… I'm…sorry man that can't be easy."

Jack sighed and looked down, "It's not but…we're going to make it work."

"You know, if you guys ever need any help or anything," Vince started. Jack looked at his old friend.

"Well you know if things get tough, I'll try and help." the red head explained.

Jack blinked a few times before smiling, "Thanks Vinny, that means a lot."

His friend shrugged, "What are friends for? And I told you, call me Vince. I hate nicknames."

"Right, sorry Vince." Jack apologized, and looked back at the road.

"You folks picking you up?" he asked Vince.

"Mom is, yeah. On her way now. Yours?"

"Dad actually," Jack admitted, "He doesn't want the…HIV to interfere with his life."

Vince nodded and looked out at the parking lot as students milled about, "Your dads a strong guy. I think he'll hold out for a good long while."

Jacks fist clenched tightly, "He will. Something like this won't take him down." he growled.

Vince just smiled and nodded, looking out at the street. Jack followed his gaze and saw his dad rolling down the street towards the school. From another intersection, he saw Vince's mom in her convertible. As Robert rolled down the street though, something went wrong.

He seemed to let out a series of nasty coughs and his hand on reflex jerked down. The engine on his bike roared to life. The vehicle jerked forward and swerved wildly, Robert struggling for control of the runaway bike.

Jack shot to his feet as this happened in time to see the bike t-bone with Vince's mothers car. Time slowed down as Jack let out a strangled cry. Robert flew off his bike as bits of shrapnel went flying. Mrs. Thompsons head jerked to one side, then another.

Her neck hit the edge of her door and didn't bounce back.

Robert sailed over the car and crashed into the asphalt with a crash. His helmet shattered and he rolled across the ground. He came to a stop a good twenty feet away from the accident, his jacket bloody and torn and his waist twisted at an odd angle.

"DAD!"

"MOM!"

Jack sprinted towards his father's unmoving body as fast as he could, unaware of the chaos at school. All he cared about was his dad.

He slid up next to his dad, hands hovering over his body. Jack wanted to check him for injuries but one look at his body told him all he needed to know. His dad was hurt and hurt bad. He saw a few shards of white jutting from his side and blood dripped from his ribs.

Tears stung his eyes as a realization hit him ,"Dad no, please…."

Roberts head rolled to the side to look up at him. His eyes were bleary and barely focused on him, but he was still alive, "Jack…" he whispered weakly.

"I'm here dad, just…stay awake, please stay awake!" he begged.

His dad smiled weakly, "Jack...please…take care….of your mother…" he pleaded as his eyes slowly shut.

"No…no no no…Dad!?" Roberts eyes shut.

"DAD!"

_Local Hospital…_

Jack stared down at the linoleum floors, sitting with his mom in the hospital lobby. The ambulance hadn't let Jack come with them, and so the boy had ran home, hopped on his dirt bike, and then drove to the hospital where his mother was waiting for him with big teary eyes.

The next hour or so had been a blur he barely remembered. All he knew for sure was that his dad was in critical condition. But that meant the doctors still had a chance to save him. They had to. His dad couldn't, no wouldn't die.

But sitting in the lobby with his mother, who was completely silent at the moment made him think otherwise. She hadn't said a word, only sat next to him with her hands clasped tightly together, her lips murmuring silently the entire time.

The doors to the emergency room opened and a doctor in a surgeons garb walked out towards the two. June and Jack looked up at him as he approached. But the look in his face suggested…

Jack felt his heart freeze, "Mrs. Darby…" the doctor greeted, "I'm afraid…the injuries were too fatal… Robert…he didn't make it. I'm sorry."

June was utterly silent at this while a few tears trailed down her cheeks. Jack felt his mouth go dry and his eyes water. His dad was dead…dead.

"Did you…have a life insurance policy ma'am?" the doctor asked. Standard procedure for the hospital.

June nodded, "Yes, for just this kind of thing, but I never…" she took in a sharp breath, "It will be enough to keep us going for a long while."

Jacks world started to spin, the man's words echoing in his head.

_'You'll never have to worry about money again…'_

This was his fault. He'd signed that contract, signed his dads death warrant. His dad was dead now because of him, because he…he…

Jack stood up and ran for the exit, ignoring the calls of his mother and the doctor. He shoved open the doors of the hospital and ran to his motorcycle. He hopped onto it and backed off the pavement, not bothering to put his helmet on.

The engine roared to life and Jack took off out of the parking lot, bouncing over the pavement before speeding down the street.

The asphalt was nothing but a blur as he moved, pushing his bike to the limit. Buildings, trees, other cars were a blur as he hit a good 50 miles an hour. The bikes top speed.

He drove out of Jasper, the bikes engine roaring louder and louder as he rode. He didn't care where he went at the moment. All he could think about was one thing. His dad was dead. His dad was dead and it was all his fault.

He'd sold his soul and for what!? Nothing! It was all for nothing!

Jack jerked the handlebars to the side and his bike fell out from underneath him. He went flying off the bike as it tumbled behind him and smacked into the street with an audible crack. He felt his spine snap and skin tear as he slid across the ground and came to a stop.

Once he stopped, Jack tried to move but found his body wouldn't respond. He was oddly aware that he should be feeling something, and that he should be able to move, but…he didn't really care all that much.

All he wanted was release from his torment, his pain. He didn't want to live in this world where his father had died because of him. He was a murderer…life was something he didn't deserve.

"That may be Jack," a familiar voice whispered, "But you're no use to me dead."

There was an echoing snap that boomed like thunder, and Jack suddenly gasped for air. He felt good as new, his body completely restored. Blinking a few times, Jack slowly got to his feet and saw…the same man from the night before standing ten feet away from him, a smug smile on his face.

Anger flared in his system, "You!" he roared and charged at the man. He leaped at him, aiming to tackle him to the ground. But he passed through him as if he were smoke and crashed to the ground.

"Oh Jack, that wasn't too smart," the man sounded like a parent scolding his child.

Jack got up and wiped the dirt off his chin, glaring at the man, "You killed my father." he accused.

"I did what I said I would." the man replied, "I made sure your family would never have to worry about money again. I said nothing about keeping your father alive."

"You son of a bitch!" Jack roared, wanting to do nothing but attack this slime ball.

The man ignored his comment, "I fulfilled my end of the bargain Jack," he began circling the boy, who glared at him with nothing but contempt.

"Now," he put a hand on Jacks shoulder, "It's time you fulfilled your end."

Jack suddenly went ramrod stiff and gasped as he felt a fire burning in his chest. It felt like something was being ripped from him, pulled through a line of hot coals, then shoved back in. But despite the pain he couldn't scream, couldn't move, couldn't anything.

The man removed his hand and Jack fell to the ground, gasping for air, "Your soul is mine now Jack. I own you. Go about living your life now, but someday I will need you to do something for me. Might be a few days, few weeks, few months, maybe even years. But my point is someday, I will call on you. And you will serve me, whether you like it or not."

Jack glared up at the man, "You signed the contract Jack." he reminded him, "You have no one to blame but yourself."

And with that said, the man was gone. All that remained was Jack, his broken bike and the sound of thunder in the distance…

**A/N: Now before some of you go off on me, yes I am aware there is another story out there concerning Ghost Rider and TFP. However, I personally found several issues with the story. So this is **_**my **_**take on the story. My turn of events on how it all goes down, etc, etc. That said, what did you guys think huh? Pretty good way to start off the new story? Or was it a horrible failure? Let me know in the reviews and if you have ideas for where I should start off in the TFP universe, let me know via review or PM. I'll try and update tomorrow, but I make no promises. Chao!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Fire Hot

_2 Years Later…_

"You agreed to what!?"

If one had believed Jacks life was going to get easier after his father's unfortunate demise and after having sold his soul to the devil…Jack would have decked the idiot. After his father's death, Jacks entire life had fallen apart. Vince no longer talked with him, in fact he'd taken the opposite route.

He hated Jack and his father for what had happened. For losing his mother, which made Vince's own dad, Vergil, fall into a grief filled depression. And he blamed Jack for it, cutting off all ties with his friend. So not only had he lost his father, but he also lost his best…and only friend.

After everything calmed down though, Jack had sold his dirt bike and used the money to rebuild his dads bike. June insisted he simply sell it for parts, but like his dads old biker gear… He couldn't do it. There were too many memories behind each of those items. Late night bike rides, races against his dad…he couldn't give it up.

Even for money.

The insurance money that they'd gained was more than enough for the two to live stably. But Jack hated using the money for anything, and June only used it to pay the bills and keep them fed. So at 15 Jack had gotten a job at the K.O Burger. He didn't need it, but he needed something to keep him busy.

Every night he was afraid the man would return, asking him to fill his end of the bargain. Every night that proved to be false but…it was always a fear that would never leave him.

But that wasn't even the oddest part of Jacks life. Not by a long shot. No the weirdest part was less than a month ago when he spotted a blue sport bike parked out front of his place of work. Jack had begun considering using his dads bike for transportation, but the idea of using it didn't sit well with him.

So seeing the blue bike had relit a fire in Jack he hadn't had for a while. A need to go out and start living his life again. And to start that, he needed to get a bike like that one. Thing is, that wasn't a bike he saw.

No, Jack actually came across a sentient transforming alien robot from the planet named Arcee. She was part of a faction called the Autobots, who fought to protect all sentient life from their enemies, the Decepticons. Jack and two other kids, a twelve year old tech wiz named Raf and Japanese foreign exchange student named Miko.

The three of them wound up helping the bots not only thwart an invasion of Earth, but prevent the cons from gaining hold of an ancient Cybertronian super weapon. And what exactly was going on now with Jack?

He had gotten into a race with Vince the other day over the local cheerleader and Jacks crush Sierra. With help from his new friend Arcee, the two had throttled him badly. He'd been the talk of the school and Sierra even seemed ready to ask him out.

That was until Vince challenged him to a second race. The memory passed through Jacks mind for a brief moment.

_He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Sierra standing there. A faint smile crossed Jacks face, "Hey." she muttered quietly._

_"Hey." he replied_

_"I've been looking for you." she admitted "The race, how great was that? It was like, yeah go Jack." she said nervously._

_Jack let his smile grow a little bigger before he rubbed his head in embarrassment "It was nothing." he said humbly._

_Vince bumped into his shoulder from behind "You got that right!" he growled angrily as he turned to face Jack "If you think you can run with the big boys" he pointed a finger at him "the circuit. Tonight. 11 PM." he said ominously._

_Jack looked from Sierra to Vince, before smiling halfheartedly._

The boy shook his head of the memory and sighed, he knew he'd regret this "It was some sort of secret racing club, and I didn't have a choice, Sierra was standing right there" he explained.

"You always have a choice Jack." Arcee lectured, again causing Jack to flinch. That was way too close to home in his humble opinion.

"And what part of just this once did you not understand?" she demanded angrily.

"I know, I'm sorry… But where on right?" he asked hesitantly, though he already knew the answer.

"We are not on." Arcee stated, ending the conversation. Jack sat back slightly in the seat, disappointed but not surprised. The last race had been a fluke after all. Vince had just so happened to royally piss Arcee off, and so she'd decided to teach him a lesson. He shouldn't have been surprised Arcee wasn't up for a race.

But just because Arcee wasn't up for a race didn't mean there wasn't someone else who would be…

_Autobot HQ…_

The base was a large old missile silo, repurposed for Autobot use. Its rocky walls stretched over a hundred feet up, with industrial lights hanging from the rafters. To the left was the Autobots med bay, to the right was a large tunnel that lead to the entrance/exit of the base.

A large concrete platform stood directly across from the ground bridge with a large elevator built into the wall and a bright yellow railing lining the edge. Ratchet, the team medic, had a terminal where he worked the ground bridge and communicated with the Autobots. It sat right in front of the terminal.

At the moment Raf was up in the recreational area, playing a racing game on the console in base, concentrating intently his game. Raf had spiky brown hair, wore red glasses, and wore an orange sweater vest over a white button up shirt. He wore a pair of blue jeans and sneakers.

"Raf?" Jack asked, causing the boy to lose focus and crash, before he turned to his friend "Is there any way I could borrow Bumblebee for like, an hour?" he asked nervously.

Bee whirred and beeped indignantly as if the idea of asking if he could be borrowed was offensive. Bumblebee was roughly twenty four feet tall and covered in bright yellow armor with black stripes. A pair of doorwings sprouted from his back, and he had some sort of speaker where his mouth would have been.

"Jack" Raf said "You know racing is against the rules. What if Optimus found out?"

Jack winced. The last thing he needed to do was think about the sort of reaction the Prime would have to Jack street racing.

Bee and Jack both sighed or beeped in disappointment at Raf's burst of responsibility.

"But Raf." Miko interrupted " Jacks got to get the girl." she explained, causing the twelve year old to look at her funny. And not because she wore a blue tank top with blue and purple striped leggings with a pair of black combat boots with pink striped pig tails.

Mostly because, being twelve…he wasn't going to get that. Jack himself wasn't sure why he was so determined to impress Sierra…but he was.

Raf thought about everything he heard "Well…" he looked from Jack to Bumblebee's pleading faces. He looked pretty torn.

"Come on Raf" Jack pleaded, raising a finger "Just this once?"

Bee nodded excitedly behind him and raised a servo. Raf looked between them, a thoughtful look on his face…

_Outskirts of Jasper…_

Jack and Bumblebee pulled into the empty canal that functioned as the circuit, the moon hanging high in the air. Nights like these made Jack just want to go for a ride. But this time, he was going for a race. And he was going to win.

Various customized muscle and sport cars were scattered around, their drivers chatting with other drivers, or their girlfriends. Jack ignored them all, as he and Bumblebee pulled up next to Vince.

His former friend looked in surprise at the muscle car. Jack rolled the window down wearing a smug grin, "Bikes in the shop." he explained.

Vince set his face back into a scowl, and looked ahead. Jack furrowed his brow and looked forward. He failed to notice the familiar red European sports car in the rearview mirror. The flag girl stepped out in front of the cars, and Jack was surprised to see it was Sierra. She waved shyly at Jack, who felt a small smile tug at his lips, before preparing the flags.

"Racers are you ready?" the announcer asked "5…4" engines began to roar,"…3…2…1" and the cars shot off like rockets down the circuit.

Jack and Bee quickly pulled ahead, Vince behind them, as well as the red sports car. Suddenly though, the red car began to ram Vince repeatedly. Bee started beeping franticly though Jack couldn't understand him.

"What was that Bee?" he asked as he turned around in his seat "Wait I know that car." he said, when Bee yanked control from him, causing him to yelp in surprise. The yellow muscle car, and red sports car began speeding along the curved wall of the canal Jack looking around frantically.

It was the same red con that wanted that Cybertronian relic! Scrap!

He looked in the mirror and saw a blaster unfold from either side of the sports car, and aim at them, charging it's laser. It began to unleash a barrage of Energon bolts, causing Bee to take evasive maneuvers and give Jack mild motion sickness.

"Now I remember why I prefer motorcycles." he muttered, gripping Bee's door handle.

Bumblebee, deciding he needed to get the teen to safety, drove up the wall, and used it to jump onto the highway, the con in close pursuit.

"Can you lose him Bee?" Jack asked, as the con continued to fire at them. His answer was a series of beeps and whistles.

Jack looked around worriedly, "What did you say?" he asked, receiving more beeps and whirrs as a reply "I hope that means yes, cause I'd rather not have to call base for backup" he said nervously…

_Autobot HQ…_

Miko and Raf were in the middle of an intense racing game, Bulkhead watching eagerly. Optimus was in his quarters, filling out paperwork, and Ratchet was busy cataloguing the Energon stockpile. They heard the sound of metal footsteps and noticed Arcee entering the main hall.

She was roughly twenty feet tall and covered in deep blue armor. Her midsection, thighs, and upper arms were coated in black armor, while two winglets sprouted from her back. Her optics were a stunning mixture of cobalt blue and violet.

The femme looked around for a moment before asking "Anyone seen Jack?"

Raf, Miko, and Bulkhead all froze at her question and looked between each other quickly.

"Not since…" Miko paused for a moment trying to come up with an excuse "we last saw him. she answered quickly.

Arcee's eyes narrowed "Their racing aren't they?" she demanded.

"Just this once." Raf said nervously, hunching his shoulders.

Arcee turned to Bulkhead with a scowl on her faceplate, "Did you know about this?" she asked the wrecker.

Said Wrecker was the second largest mech in base, covered in thick green armor with big meaty servos. That said, he was arguably the most timid bot at base too. Go figure.

Bulkhead turned away for a moment "No." he said, before noticing the look in Arcee's eyes "Maybe. A little."

Arcee sighed in frustration, when the terminal suddenly activated, showing Bee's ID tag. The scout began to rapidly beep a message over the channel. All eyes turned to the terminal as the bots and Raf (The only human who could understand him) listened to his frantic message.

Raf got up from the couch "Your being chased by Knockout?" he asked. Bee beeped what sounded like a yes.

Miko stood up, fist clenched "That sounds like a Decepticon."

Arcee scowled angrily, "Bee do not engage, your first priority is to keep Jack safe" she ordered before turning to head after them "Before I get my hands on him." she muttered darkly.

_Outskirts of Jasper…_

Jack shivered as he heard Arcee's threat over the comm. He was touched she was concerned, but given how she sounded furious as well, he was pretty sure she meant her threat pretty well. And that…that would not end well.

Knockout continued to tailgate the two, before Bee began to dump out an oil slick, coating the road in the slippery stuff. The moment Knockouts wheels hit the liquid, he lost control, skidding from side to side as he struggled to stay on the road.

"Slick." Jack quipped. The pair quickly drove off, before finding a bridge over the canal. Bee went off road, and pulled under the bridge, hoping to lose Knockout. Once they were settled under the bridge, Bee shutoff his lights and the two waited in silence.

They heard the rumble of Knockouts engine as he pulled onto the bridge above them, and did the same, shutting his lights and engine off to listen for the bot. For several seconds, neither side dared to make a move. The entire area was dead silent. There was a sudden clicking noise, before Knockouts engine flared to life, and he drove off.

"I think we lost him." Jack let out a sigh of relief. He looked forward, and to his utter disappointment, saw the telltale headlights of Vince's modified muscle car approaching, "You got to be kidding me." he hissed, as Vince got out of his car, and slammed the door.

"Darby!" he yelled as he approached the duo slamming his fists together as he did.

"Vince you have to get out of here, "Jack warned "You win congratulations now go."

The red head slammed his hands on the hood "No, start her backup loser, we're finishing this race!" he commanded angrily.

Jack looked at Vince sadly. He'd once been such a cool and collected person. But ever since his mother died, he just got angrier and angrier.

Vince glared at Jack with contempt, "Don't want to finish the race, fine, then we got something to settle right here right-" he was cutoff as a large metal hand reached down and plucked him off the ground. Vince reacted accordingly, by screaming his lungs out.

Jack struggled with Bee's seatbelt trying to get it off so he could rescue the bully. He fumbled with the device and cursed. Bee wasn't helping, resisting his attempts to unbuckle and kept beeping at him, likely telling him to stay hidden.

Jack heard the sound of Knockout transforming and driving off, and cursed as Bee finally let him go. He rushed to the top of the bridge, but Knockout was long gone by then.

Bee pulled up behind Jack, who turned to the scout "Bee come on he's getting away!" he yelled, and the scout began quickly beeping at him.

Jack let out a frustrated roar, "I can't understand you!" he yelled at the scout. Probably louder than he should have, but the language barrier was annoying!

He rubbed the back of his head while he thought "Look, how about you honk once for bad news, twice for good news." Bee promptly honked twice, and Jack looked over to see to his relief and horror, Arcee and Bulkhead approaching.

The bots transformed before him, and Arcee stood in front, hands on her hips. Before she could begin lecturing her though, Jack interrupted her "I know Arcee, I'm in a lot of trouble, but right now Knockout just snatched Vince, and is taking him god knows where."

The femme raised an eyebrow in confusion "What would he want with Vince?" she asked.

"He probably thought he was Bumblebees human friend" Jack sighed angrily "I'm not even Bumblebee's human friend. Look, that isn't the point. The point is that Vince is in trouble."

"Oh well, tough break for Vince." Bulkhead shrugged, earning an astonished look from everyone, especially Jack.

"Bulkhead!" Jack yelled.

"What?" Bulkhead asked innocently "I hear the guys a jerk."

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing "That might be true, but he's also innocent and used to be a good friend. I can't let him get crushed by cons. No one deserves that. Especially after all the other crap he's had to deal with." even if Vince hated him, Jack wasn't going to let his former friend get killed by cons. Not now, not ever.

Arcee looked at the boy, a hint of approval hidden in her optics, before she collapsed into vehicle form "Hop on." she ordered.

_Autobot HQ…_

"They should have called by now." Raf said worriedly "Do you think Bumblebee's okay?"

"Don't worry Raf." she comforted, "Jack and Bulkhead would never let anything happen to Bee."

The sound of Optimus' booming footsteps caught their attention and the two turned to see the Autobot leader walking in from the hallway. He was a massive mech, with broad shoulders, large pedes, and a bright red and blue paint job.

Raf leaned over to Miko, "We should just tell Optimus the truth."he whispered to her.

"Absolutely not!" Miko hissed, "We made a deal, just act completely normal." she ordered, and the two turned their attention back to the Prime.

Optimus approached the two "Raf, Miko, do either of you know where the others have gone?" he asked.  
**"**Why, no, sir. We do not know." Miko said stiffly

"Miko is correct. We do not know." Raf agreed, his voice cracking.

"Why would, _we_, know?" she asked even more stiffly. It was a minor miracle that with lying skills this bad, the two hadn't exposed the bots to the public.

Optimus raised a brow, in suspicion ,"Hmm..."

_Jasper…_

The small convoy of bots raced down the highway, searching for Knockout and Vince. There had been no sign of the con since they'd begun searching for him, and Jack was beginning to lose hope. First his dad, then Vince's mom, and now Vince himself. Jack was starting to think he was a liability to those around him.

The three came to a stop at a stop sign for a moment, when they saw a red sports car race by.

Jack did a double take, before he and Arcee raced after him, followed by Bulkhead and Bumblebee. They race after the con down the street, until he turned sharply into a nearly abandoned parking lot, a single beater parked in the corner.

"On your guard boys," Arcee ordered as she fell back into line with the others "it could be a trap."

"Remember, no shooting." Jack reminded them, and the two mech's took off.

Arcee pulled over "Speaking of safety, here's where you get off."

Jack sighed inwardly, before stepping off of Arcee. She race off after the two, while Jack stood there. He turned and looked through the buildings, listening and watching. He looked up and saw Arcee gracefully scale a nearby water tower for a tactical advantage, before she flipped up top and landed gracefully a top it.

Jack smiled "That's my girl." he said. The sound of blaster fire and the collapse of stone caught his attention, and he turned to see Bulkhead and Bee engaging a large blue mech with and orange faceplate. This had to be Breakdown, Knockouts infamous partner, and Bulkhead's rival. The two mech's engaged him, while Knockout remained parked in vehicle mode.

"Now where is the two wheeler?" he muttered to himself. As if in answer, a large blue and pink foot slammed itself onto his hood, and Arcee began punching his hood "Hey, watch the paint!" he yelled, before taking off.

Arcee managed to hold on as he barreled out of the parking lot. Jack watched them drive by, before Knockout made a sharp turn, knocking the femme off of him. She slid across the pavement transformed into vehicle mode, chasing after him.

Jack watched her go off and sighed, sitting on the pavement, "Damn it," he muttered, "I screwed up, I screwed up bad." why did everything and everyone he know have to get hurt because of him!? It wasn't fair!

All Jack had wanted to do was help his dad. And instead, he winds up shortening his life. Just wanted to race against his former friend, and instead…. Vince would likely be a prisoner of the cons for the rest of his short life because of him. And even if they did manage to rescue him… He was not looking forward to his punishment.

Jack suddenly looked up as Arcee rolled to a stop in front of him, "Get on." she ordered.

Gulping, Jack got on, and Arcee roared off down the street with Bulkhead and Bee following close behind. They quickly left Jasper and followed the highway to see… Optimus, holding an unconscious Vince in his servo.

The teen saw Optimus look at him and rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Optimus…this was my fault, don't blame the others…" he pleaded. This was his fault and his fault alone. No one else needed to be punished for what he had done.

Optimus scowled, or did his best impression of a scowl, before speaking "For now our focus shall be on returning this boy home. Explanations shall come later"

Jack just nodded. He had no words left to say, except to accept the coming lecture from Optimus and Arcee…

_Later…_

Roughly half an hour later, Jack and Bee were driving the unconscious Vince back to his house. It was agreed on the story they would tell him so that he wouldn't become suspicious of what really had transpired.

As they drove through the night though, Jack frowned in thought. Because of his recklessness, Vince had nearly been killed by Cons today. Another friend, a person who had once been almost a brother to him.

Jack looked out the window and sighed, "It can never be easy, can it?" he whispered to himself.

He received no response as they drove through the night, turning onto the suburbs. At that moment, Vince began to stir. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around rather confused, before looking at Jack and scowling.

"What the hell am I doing in here?" he demanded.

Jack shrugged, "A bunch of guys took you and shoved you in the back of their car. Some sort of initiation I think."

Vince frowned and repeated the word, "Initiation…?"

"Yeah," Jack confirmed, "Some sort of club or something. I think you passed."

For his credit, Vince looked unconvinced, "Then why am I in here with you?"

"They abandoned you in the middle of nowhere." Jack explained, "I was in the neighborhood and figured you could use a ride back home. We were friends after all."

Vince scowled and looked out the window, "We stopped being friends years ago." he growled.

Jack looked forward and let out a heavy sigh, "Look, Vince…I'm sorry about what happened all those years ago. I know it was an accident and all, but I can't imagine how hard it was for you. But that doesn't mean you can be a jerk. I lost my dad too you know." he reminded him.

"Yeah, but when your dad died, everyone tried helping your family." Vince mumbled, "What did I get? A dead beat dad who's barely left his room in two years."

Bumblebee pulled up in front of Vince's houses. Like Jacks, it was one of many identical houses in the suburb. Only this one looked like it was falling apart. Two years and it was already looking more like a haunted house then a place where people lived.

Jack looked at him sadly, "I'm sorry about that Vince, but…we did use to be good friends. What would it take for that to happen again?"

Vince opened the door and stood out of the car, "Bring my mother back, and we'll talk." he growled, and slammed the door.

Watching him walk up to his house, Jack hung his head and sighed. Bee beeped out something and Jack shook his head, "No Bee. You don't have to tip his car."

Looking back at the road, he let out a heavy sigh, "Come on, let's go home."

_Vince's House…_

Opening his door, Vince scowled angrily as he walked in. Despite his efforts, the house was a wreck. The walls were filthy, the floor littered with trash, and several lights flickered. They consisted solely on the insurance money from his mother's death, since his dad didn't work with the church anymore.

And any money that was given to them he took for himself. For what Vince didn't care. probably booze and drugs. His old man hadn't been the same since his mom died. At first Vince just thought it was grief, that his dad would come back to his senses.

That hope died two months later when Vergil began locking himself in his room for days on end, doing lord knows what. Vince didn't know, nor did he care. He just tried to survive, one night at a time.

And at the moment he had to get ready for tomorrow, find the keys to his dads car, and figure out how to get his car back. Great.

But as Vince walked down the hall towards his room, his dads door opened and his father walked out. Despite spending days in his room at a time, his dad rarely looked poorly dressed. Sure he wasn't dressed fancily, but he kept himself in fairly decent condition.

Tonight though, things seemed different. Tonight Vergil was in his pastors outfit.

Vince paused at the sight of his father, "Dad? What's going on?"

His father's cold grey eyes locked on him, "We need to talk Vince. Now."

_Jasper Residence…_

Less than 15 minutes later, Jack and Bee arrived at his house. The scout let him out and beeped him a goodbye before driving off into the night, leaving Jack relatively alone. Relatively, because in the garage, Arcee sat there in vehicle form.

Jack sighed. He knew this was coming and walked forward, ready to take his punishment.

"Jack…what were you thinking!?" Arcee demanded, "I said no, why did you drag Bumblebee into this? Did you even think about what could have happened."

Jack clenched his fist and sighed, "No, I didn't, And it was stupid, I know." he hung his head, "I didn't _want _that to happen. Especially to Bumblebee."

"But you went ahead with it anyway." Arcee growled.

"I just…" Jack sighed again, "It's just that ever since my dad passed away, my life was…well dull, unimportant. I guess I just wanted to change that."

Arcee's alt mode straightened onto its tires and rolled forward a few feet, "That's all said and good Jack, but when you put others at risk like that, it's stops being a game."

"I know Arcee." Jack knew that all too well, "And I'm sorry."

Arcee looked ready to say more, before her mirrors shifted uneasily, "We'll continue this conversation later." she warned, "I've got a mission to attend to."

Without another word, she drove out of the drive way and off into the night, leaving Jack alone. The boy sighed heavily and wandered inside. Once inside his room he flopped on his bed and looked out the window.

He shoved the thoughts of his mistake away. There would be more time to brood later. Right now he just needed to relax. And seeing the moon in the clear sky…he found that quite easy.

"Man…such a peaceful night. I wish Arcee hadn't left…" at least they could have gone for a ride and blown off some steam. But she was busy so he was left at home without…

Well no, that wasn't true. There was always his dads bike, but he hadn't ridden it in two years. It still worked, he knew that. He maintained it consistently and made sure to run it every other week. But he had never been able to ride it before, simply out of respect for his dads memory.

But looking at the moon, it was almost as if his dad were saying the same thing he was thinking, "It's time to move on. What happened was a tragedy, and you can't mope about it Jack." he whispered to himself.

Sitting up, Jack walked over to his closet and pulled out a leather jacket and his dads old riding boots. He remembered that his sneakers were pretty crap at helping him ride the bike, so he changed into the big black boots…that fit him perfectly.

Jack snorted, "Dad if only you saw how big I had gotten." he said wistfully before shaking his head, "Enough brooding." he scolded, "For one night just relax."

Shoes and jacket in place, Jack headed out to the garage to see the bike still parked there. Its flames gleamed under the moonlight, and its chrome glimmered. He grabbed onto the handlebars and lead it out of the garage and took a seat.

A small smile spread across his face. Arcee had a nice alt mode, but honestly…he preferred the chopper.

He pulled the keys out of his leather jacket and slipped them in, readying himself to go, when he heard a voice, "That's quite the nice bike you've got there Jack."

The keys slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. Jack broke out in cold sweat and slowly twisted his head to the right to see the man from those years ago standing there. His hands were buried in a long black jacket that draped to his knees.

He smiled at Jack, "Really nice in fact." he commented.

Jacks shocked face turned into a sneer, "What do _you _want?" he demanded.

As per usual, the man was unaffected by Jacks hostility, "I'm here to collect on our deal Jack. You see, there's a bit of an issue. A group of sinners that are in need of punishing. I think you know them."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Jack growled.

"Oh I think you do Jack." the man insisted, "Offworlders don't normally fall under my jurisdiction, but these offworlders have been here long enough that I think I can make an exception."

He grinned at the look of revelation on Jacks face, "Yes, the Decepticons. You know them well, don't you Jack?"

"Are you insane? You're going to send me up against the cons!?" Jack demanded.

The man laughed and Jack shivered. It sounded like the wind brushing across stone. Quiet but…unnerving.

"Not like this, no. But you'll be more then capable of handling these machines. Not tonight though." he added, "consider what happens tonight a test run."

Jack scowled, "I'm not going to fight for you. You can't force me to fight." he tried standing off the bike, but it felt as though his hands and feet were glued to the bike. He struggled against them while the pale faced man never stopped smiling.

"Actually, I can. We have a contract, remember Jack?" he reminded him, "But here's a bit more incentive. Complete this task, and I'll return your soul. As per contract."

Jack paused at that for a moment and the man smiled, "Well then, I guess that's the closest I'll get to a yes from you."

He raised a hand, "Now then, off you go!"

Suddenly, the bike roared to life without the key, and jerked forward. Jacks head whipped back and he suddenly found himself speeding along the streets of the suburbs. The engines roar was deafening and the bike moved at a speed he didn't think was possible.

His attempts at screaming in panic were fruitless, as the wind was sucked out of him. Instead, all he could do was hold on for dear life as he sped faster and faster, the landscape becoming nothing but a blur.

Heat flared up behind him, making Jack slowly turn his head only for his eyes to widen in shock. Fire was trailing behind the rear wheel of the bike, quickly stuttering out as he drove. What was going on!?

Jack never received an answer as he left the suburbs and found himself speeding towards the shopping district. A large series of outdoor convenience stores, it was probably the only reason Jasper was still functioning. And Jack was speeding for the outskirt at a new parking garage under construction.

The structure was only just starting to take form. Several cranes were located around it, and large groups of building material were stacked up high. And Jacks possessed bike sped straight for the entrance. Which was boarded up.

"No no no no!" Jack screamed. Suddenly the bike reared on its back wheel and broke through the woods. Splinters flew everywhere, and Jack roared in.

The brakes suddenly hit and Jack found himself propelled off the bike, hitting the ground with a bone crunching crash. Except his bones didn't break. The most he felt was a fleeting sense of pain.

_"You're no use to me dead." _had been the man's words. Great.

Jack propped himself up and stumbled around for a moment, trying to get his bearings. He looked at his evil bike and narrowed his eyes angrily at it, before nearly collapsing in pain.

Fire seemed to lance across his skin, his entire body feeling like it was burning. Jacks knees went weak and he stumbled forward, screaming in pain as the fiery feeling intensified, steadily growing worse. He clawed at his face to no avail.

The fire spread to his hands and Jack screamed at the sight of them. His skin dried and cracked, resembling smoldering coals. His screams continued as he felt the coal like feeling spread up his face. His eyes began to burn and his vision started to fail him.

He felt like he was going to die as he screamed in the parking lot. And to the casual viewer, it would seem that he was. His skin was flaking off, his eyes blazing coals, and bits of bone exposing itself. His hair went up in flame and Jack started to laugh maniacally.

Flames licked up around his boots as he stumbled forward, and entire chunks of skin fell off his face. His maniacal laughter echoed through the parking garage as Jack staggered about clawing at his face. Then, suddenly, a tremendous blaze engulfed the teenager.

It radiated like the light of a supernova for a brief moment, before dying down. What stood in Jacks place was not human, not Cybertronian, and certainly not of this Earth.

An large figure, clad in Jacks black leather jacket, blue jeans, and black biker boots stood in the smoking crater where Jack had been but a moment before. But there was no flesh on this figure. Instead, fire whipped about the figures exposed skull, which slowly raised up to the sky. Its empty holes that acted as eyes looked up at the moon.

Its skeletal hands curled, and the fire flared brightly. The figure reared its head back, and let out a cackling laugh that echoed across the whole of the planet.

And once more, the Rider rode again…

**A/N:Oh you guys must HATE my guts right now! Cliffhangers for all! But all hate mail aside, was this a good starting chapter for you guys? I decided to get right into the Rider action, and trust me, next chapter we'll get to see the Rider in full force, I guarantee it. That said, I want to hear what you guys want to see in the next chapter. He won't fight cons, yet, but about anything else is free game. Let me know in the reviews and PM me if you have any ideas. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Night of Vengeance

_Jasper Shopping District…_

To see what one would have seen in that parking lot would have terrified any sane human, any sane creature. After all, a skeleton with flames rippling along its skulls and bony hands dressed in a thick black leather jacket with black biker boots was quite the site.

At the moment though, the skeletal figure didn't seem interested in moving yet. After his chilling cackle had died down, the Rider took a moment to examine his new body. Not as thick as past hosts for sure, in fact almost scrawny in comparison.

The Rider opened and closed his skeletal hands, fire flickering along each individual bone. Weaker too. The boy's body had barely survived the change, yet despite that he could feel fleeting remnants of his consciousness at the back of his mind. It wouldn't be long before the boy assumed control.

But for the time being, the Rider was in control. He was in charge. And nothing would stop him from exacting vengeance on those who would harm the innocent. The Rider took in a deep breath and let it out. Flames continue to flicker around his skull, snatching at the air. And if it was possible for a skull to grin, the Rider pulled that feat off quite well.

There was just one issue left. Being a Rider, he couldn't be without a mode of transportation. He'd need something to-

A scream of terror sounded through the air, and the Riders head jerked towards it. It had come through the way he came, and it was a woman's scream. His fire burned brighter and the skull faced figure started towards it.

Time to announce his presence.

_Outside The Garage…_

Alyssa had thought that a small town like Jasper would be safe. That being in the middle of nowhere, the crime rate would be low and that a simple walk home would be safe. After all, why would a criminal want to operate in a small town?

So she had walked to the shopping center with the intent of walking back to her motel. It was good for her after all to get some walking in. But when night fell and she began her walk back home, two men in hoodies had started tailing her. At first she simply thought they were going somewhere that happened to be along her path home.

But when they continued to follow her out of the shopping district by the old parking garage under construction, she knew something was out. When they started jogging after her, she took off at a run. The men followed quickly after her and now they had her cornered against one of the cranes.

The taller one pushed her against the crane and held her by the throat. He was big and his muscles bulged even in the hoody he wore. And there was a scent of alcohol on his breath that made it hard for the young woman to breath.

"Why you running girly?" he asked snidely, "Don't you know it's dangerous to walk around late at night all alone?"

She glared at the man, "Only when stereotypical rapists are running around." she hissed.

"Oh ouch, that was so hurtful," the man said with mock hurt.

"Trevor, wasn't that just mean?" he asked his shorter friend.

The man, named Trevor apparently, nodded, "Real mean lady. Besides, we ain't rapists."

Alyssa was unconvinced, "Oh yeah, two guys corner a lone and attractive woman in a dark abandoned construction site. Totally not rapists." she might have been acting sarcastic, but she honestly was terrified. She just hoped that someone would find her after she had screamed.

"You're kidding right?" the man asked her, "You have any idea what they'd do to rapists in prison? We just want your money and valuables." he insisted.

"And if I say up yours?" she growled.

"Then we gut you like a fish." he replied as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

"Didn't you just say you _didn't _want to kill me?" the woman demanded. Now her fear was starting to dissipate. These guys were idiots, that much was clear.

"We didn't want to rape you. Killing you is different." the man growled, and held his hand out to his friend, "Trevor. Knife."

No knife fell into his hand and the man scowled. He looked at his partner in crime, "Trevor! Knife!"

Trevor though looked rather frightened by something, something that made him stand in place without moving. His eyes were wide with fear. The man felt a bit of rage bubbling up inside him, "Trevor!"

Finally, Trevor did something. He pointed forward eyes wide, "What the hell is…wrong with…you…"

The two men and Alyssa felt their jaws drop as a man with a…flaming skull…and skeletal hands walked towards them. And almost seemed to be scowling at them. Almost.

He stopped ten feet away from them, and Trevor asked the million dollar question, "W-what the hell is that!?"

The flaming skull faced man pointed a single bony finger at the two, "_**Retribution." **_he rumbled. His voice sounded like the crackling of fire, popping and hissing as he spoke.

The man dropped Alyssa, who stared at the Rider with shock as well. Not every day you saw a man with a flaming skull for a head. The Rider jerked his head to the side, obviously telling her to leave.

She nodded quickly, "T-thank you!" she stuttered, and scurried off.

Once she was gone, the Rider refocused his attention on the duo before him, _**"Your souls have been stained by the blood of the innocent." **_he hissed.

"Y-yeah?" Trevor squeaked, "W-well you don't have lips but can still form consonants!" he accused.

The Rider's flames almost halted in mid flicker and his friend looked at him with an utterly dumbfounded look, "Trevor…shut up."

"It was all I could think of at the moment Steve!" Trevor protested, "You try and talk with a flaming-"

_**"Silence!" **_the Rider ordered. Both men fell silent, and began backing away from him.

They didn't get far though before the Rider flung a ball of fire behind them. The ball detonated against the ground and made them shrink back with frightened yowls. Unfortunately for Steve, he bumped right into the Rider.

A bony hand clamped onto the front of his neck and Steve screamed as fire seared his flesh. The Rider quickly slammed him against the tractor with a metallic 'thud' and held him there firmly. His empty eye sockets stared into Steve's panicked brown eyes.

_**"Your soul has been stained by the blood of the innocent." **_the Rider repeated, _**"Feel their pain. Look into my eyes." **_he ordered.

Despite every instinct screaming at him not too, Steve found that he couldn't resist the staring into the black and empty eye sockets of the Rider. As he stared into them though, his eyes went wide and his body stiffened.

He suddenly saw every crime he ever committed, felt what his victims had felt. His first assault charge, stabbing an inmate in prison, killing his ex girlfriend in a rage. Countless muggings all gone horribly wrong. All of these and more swirled into his very body and Steve screamed as his eyes started to burn. It was all so much, so much pain, so much agony.

He wanted to break down and cry, but all he felt was pain and agony. And then, as quick as it began, it was over. Steve's head rolled limply to the side. His eyes were burnt out, gone. All that remained was a hellish landscape, cracked smoldering flesh where they had once been.

"Holy shit!" Trevor screamed. The Rider tossed the body to the side and looked at Trevor. His malevolent intent was clear.

The Rider stalked forward, never taking his eyes off Trevor. The man blubbered and cried as the Rider approached him, tears starting to streak down his face, "P-please man, I didn't want to do it! S-Steve j-just talked m-me into it, I swear! I'm innocent!"

For a brief moment, the Rider paused. Trevor let out an inward sigh of relief. Maybe he'd get out of this alive and in one-

_**"No." **_The Rider rasped, and pointed a finger at him, _**"Not innocent."**_

He spread his hands wide and grabbed Trevor by his hoody, lifting him high into the air, _**"Guilty!"**_

Trevor screamed as a torrent of flame spread from the riders hands and skull and engulfed the criminal. His screams quickly died out as his entire body went limp. The flames retracted and the Rider dropped him on the ground, leaving nothing but a charred corpse where the criminal had once been.

The Rider paid the body no mind though, and turned to the street leading into the construction site. The night was still young and he was far from done. There were so many to punish, so many to avenge. He was going to have his skeletal digits full. Too full for him to go walking on foot tonight. He needed a ride.

Bringing his index finger and thumb to his mouth, the Rider let out a shrill whistle that cut through the night sky. A moment later the roar of a motorcycle engine answered his whistle. His bike rocketed out from the unfinished garage, the ever faithful companion it was, and came to a stop in front of him. Its engine rumbled in anticipation.

The Rider tapped his bony chin as he examined the bike. It was nice to be sure. But it could be better. Much better.

He placed his thin fingers on the flame covered gas tank and let out a low roar. Fire flowed from his fingertips over the vehicles chassis and it began to morph and change. Its paint job turned shining silver, its exhaust pipes lowered and shrank, and the rear tire thickened while the fender stretched over it in a bony carapace.

The engine was covered in chrome and began to smolder, flames flickering out and licking hungrily at the air. The gas tank turned bright silver, and thin spider like fingers grew out and grasped the gas tank.

The headlight morphed into a the upper half of a silver skull, flames shooting from its eyes and nose. The axles morphed and broke apart into long chains while the handlebars stretched backwards. As a final piece of change, both the front and back tire lit on fire.

Perfect, just what he needed.

Straddling his newly reformatted motorcycle, the Rider revved the engine. It roared through the night sky, a bubbling roar, the roar of a raging inferno, the roar of vengeance.

Making a skeletal grin, the Rider kicked the bike into gear and roared forward out of the parking lot, trailing fire in his wake. He let out a maniacal cackle as he shot off into town, his bike shooting flames as he rode…

_Jasper…_

Arcee let out a tired sigh as she rolled to a stop at an intersection. It had nearly been a full hour since she'd dropped Jack off at his house. The call Ratchet had given her had turned out to be a false alarm, and she was allowed to return to Jacks house. She and that boy had a long talk ahead of them.

But at the moment she was rolling through Jasper, deciding to take the long way so she could think. From what she saw, Jack hadn't seemed like he necessarily _wanted _to get anyone in trouble for racing. He was just a kid who wanted to have a little fun.

Arcee could understand that, after all she had once been as reckless. Once upon a time. And unlike her, Jack wasn't really involved in a planet consuming war. So he could be allowed to have a little fun every once in a while.

"I just need to set some ground rules." she muttered to herself. After all, having fun and putting humans and Cybertronians at risk was different. That was more Miko's department.

"That girl is going to be the death of us all." Arcee declared, before the sound of an engine rumbling caught her attention.

She sighed, "You're up Sadie." her leather clad hologram materialized in place as the owner of the motorcycle engine rounded the corner.

The owner of the engine pulled up next to her, and Arcee did a double, triple, quadruple take at the figure on top the motorcycle.

Arcee didn't know human biology _that _well, but she was pretty sure their skulls weren't supposed to be exposed. Or on fire. Nor did she think that a motorcycle with flaming tires was exactly a good thing either.

The skeletal rider turned his hollow gaze on her, almost as if he was eyeing her bike. If Arcee had arms at the time, she would have rubbed them. She felt like she was being ogled.

The Rider looked up at Sadie, _**"Hey." **_he greeted.

Arcee blinked a few times before making Sadie look at him. If she thought the cons could look disturbing, she decided that Megatron's mug was now number two on the list of ugliest faces in the universe.

"Y-yeah?" she stuttered.

The Rider almost grinned, _**"Nice bike."**_

That almost stunned Arcee as much as the Rider himself did, "T-thanks?"

A smirk was his only response. Then the light turned green and the Rider reared his bike back before taking off down the street. He cackled like a madman all the way, fire trailing behind him while Arcee sat there stupidly.

"Ratchet? I need you to bridge me to base." she reported over comm.

_"What? Why!?" _he demanded angrily.

"I think I need my optics checked." Arcee said, watching the Rider disappear…

_Jasper…_

"Come on, we've gotta go!" a masked man yelled to his comrades, holding the duffel bag full of hundreds under his arm.

"We're coming we're coming!" his allies yelled back, firing back into the bank. It had started off flawlessly. Assault the bank at night, take out the night guards, and steal the money. In and out, no problem. Except one of them, the only greenhorn in their group had screwed it up. He tripped the silent alarm, and the cops had cornered them.

They had spent a good hour after that fighting off cops, killing or maiming where needed. And after finally making a gap for them to escape, the six men had returned to their armored van. The driver hopped in and slammed in the keys.

Another hopped into the passenger side while his comrades hopped into the back with their bags of cash. One of the men punched the other, "I thought you said this place was in the middle of nowhere! That security would be relaxed!"

"It was supposed to be!" he shot back. The van rumbled to life and pulled away from the curve.

"Well obviously it wasn't, and now we're wanted for murder _and _robbery! Way to go, you screwed everything up!" another yelled at him.

"Oh shut up! The cops are scrambled for the moment, we've got our money, and no one saw our faces. We'll be fine!" the leader insisted.

As if on cue, the sound of police sirens sounded. The new guy peaked through the window, "Ugh guys? The cops are-"

"We heard them!" one of the others yelled, "Open the doors! Phil, give me that rifle! Time to lose them."

Miguel Esquivel was not having a good day. It was supposed to be his first day off from the force in years, and he wanted to spend it with all his kids. But most of them had been out, even his youngest Raf had been busy all day. And then, late at night when he could have spent some much deserved time with his wife without fearing an interruption by the kids…

He gets called out to help manage and organize an operation to stop an in progress bank robbery. Three men dead, another seven injured. It was times like these he really hated being the Sheriff. Every man lost, every man who wouldn't go home to see his family that night was his fault.

And all because a few idiots wanted to make a quick buck. It made Miguel's blood boil in rage.

These sons of bitches weren't getting away anytime soon. Hence why he was leading a charge of four police cruises in chase. They would pay for their crimes, pay for robbing the families of their husbands and fathers.

He pulled the mike off the radio, "This is Sheriff Miguel to all units. We have a large armored truck heading down Main street with six suspects in high speed pursuit. Be aware subjects are armed and considered very dangerous."

As if to prove this, the rear doors to the van suddenly burst open and one of the robbers sprayed the area with a gunfire. Miguel cursed and ducked down while the driver swerved out of the way. Bullets peppered the hood, but failed to pierce the bullet proof windshield.

Miguel pulled his pistol out and leaned out the window, "Keep her steady!" he ordered the driver, "I need a clean shot!"

The man at the rear of the van fired on the police as they drove. They swerved around a tight corner, and several cars slammed into and knocked over lamp posts. Miguel's cruiser nearly followed them, but his drive managed to keep all four tires on the ground.

And they were just entering the free stretch of highway that connected to the town. Miguel lined his shot up with the rear tire of the van. The man standing in the back entrance of the van fired on a cruise next to him, but he ignored it. He instead focused on drawing a bead and…

His car suddenly shot to the side, and his shot went wide. It bounced harmlessly off the bumper of the van and Miguel cursed. He slipped back into the cruiser, "Damn it! I told you to hold her steady! Why'd you swerve!?" he demanded. This close, he'd been this close!

"Sir…." his driver started, "Look ahead of us." and pointed in front of them.

Miguel followed the finger and felt his jaw drop, "What…the….hell?"

He had seen many a strange thing in his time, but… A skull faced flaming biker on a chrome bike with wheels that were on fire? That was a new one.

The Rider looked over his back at the cops and did a mock salute before cackling madly. His engine revved and he shot forward, trailing fire as he did. The speeding wind tore at his jacket and flames, stretching the fire far behind him like a demonic streamer.

Seeing this new challenger rapidly approaching, the man at the back opened fire at him. The Rider simply leaned to the side and dodged the bullets, which passed him harmlessly. He raised a hand over head, and fire coalesced around his hand. Pretty soon, he had a large fireball writhing around his hand.

Rearing his hand back, the Rider flung the ball of fire forward at the shooter. It collided with his chest and sent him flying back into the van. The doors slammed shut behind him and the Rider cackled again.

Looking around, he saw they were now on a completely empty stretch of road and revved his engine again. The bike shot forward like a bullet, easily gaining on the van. Leaning to the side, the Rider almost sling shot around the van. He quickly rocketed ahead of them, and positioned himself in front of the van.

His fiery tires squealed on the ground, and he twisted around to face the rather shocked driver. Then, he hit the brakes and his bike reared back on the stern tire. The bike hit the front of the van with a metal shearing, glass shattering _BOOM _and the entire front end crumpled.

The two men up front where incinerated in a blast of fire, nothing remaining but ashes. The Rider pushed the throttle to the max and drove up the crumpled van as it began squealing about, and suddenly flipped. It tipped on its edge and the Rider used the slanting roof as a ramp.

He went flying into the air, fire trailing behind him while the van crashed into the ground. Metal, glass, and fire exploded across the highway as the car came to a stop. The Rider hit the ground with an earth shattering crash, fire exploding out from his bike.

But he didn't stop there. He used the momentum of the bike to twist on his front tire and speed back towards the crash. Once he was close enough, the Rider slowed to a halt. Every cop behind him was piled up a good two hundred feet behind him, utterly dumbstruck by what they just saw.

The Rider ignored it all though and stood up off his bike, which rumbled eagerly. Like an animal ready to eat and merely waiting for its master to give it the go ahead.

Boots echoed against asphalt as the Rider slowly approached the wrecked car. Three men stumbled out of the broken hatch, the only men left alive. The leader let out a series of hacking coughs before looking at the Rider in shock, fear, and anger.

"I don't know what the hell you are!" he screamed, and pulled a pistol on him while clutching his side, "But I don't intend on letting you live!"

The other thug picked up a piece of wreckage and wielded it like a bat, ready to try and break the Riders stupid skull. The rookie seemed to be the only smart one, as he stepped back into the wrecked car.

The Rider stopped a small distance from the leader and pointed a skeletal finger at him, while glaring at him with his empty eye sockets, _**"The blood of the innocent stains your soul." **_he warned.

The leader rolled his eyes, "Well screw you too buddy." he growled, "But I'm the one with the gun here. And I don't see a piece on your bony ass."

He fired a shot into the Riders arm. His shoulder jerked to the side, but he seemed unaffected by the blow. In fact he only seemed rather angry by the blow, letting loose a deep growl. The leader fired again, emptying the entire clip into the ghostly Rider.

Not once did it have an effect on him, and when it was done, the Rider started forward. The other goon let out a battle cry and charged at the Rider, swinging his piece of wreckage at him. The Rider caught it with a single bony hand. The flames singed the piece of metal, and the Rider ripped it from his gloved hands.

His other hand shot forward and grabbed him by the neck. The man gagged and grabbed at his arm as he struggled to breath and cry in pain. The Rider cocked his head to the side as if in thought.

_**"You seem thirsty…" **_he hissed, _**"Have a drink!"**_

His maw opened wide and molten lead, the bullets the man's leader had fired into him, poured out onto the man's face. He screamed in pain, his face sizzling from the heat as he struggled against his arm briefly for a moment…and then went limp.

"HOLY SHIT!" his leader screamed and immediately started hobbling away.

The Rider dropped the dead body and pointed at the leader _**"Those who are guilty must be punished…" **_he warned.

The bits of fiery wreckage in front of the man suddenly flared into a wall of fire. He stumbled to a stop and the Rider approached him. He grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to eye level.

_**"Look into my eyes!" **_he ordered, _**"Feel the pain you have caused! Experience the agony you have inflicted upon the innocent!" **_

And like before, the man felt every crime he had ever committed burned into his very being. He screamed in pure and utter anguish. his throat turning raw. His eyes burned and the cops yelled, running towards the Rider. And then his cries ceased, and nothing but empty blackened pits remained.

The Rider snorted and tossed the soulless husk to the ground. Those two dead, his head twisted to see the last member of the team trembling in the door of the wrecked van. His bony hand pointed at him.

_**"You…" **_he rasped. The rookie stepped back, fearing what would come next.

The Riders hand curled, _**"Innocent." **_

The rookie blinked at this, but the Rider ignored him. He looked at the cops fast approaching and whistled. His bike rolled forward and he straddled the heavy machine. He revved the engine once and took off into the night, cackling like a mad man while the cops came to a stop.

Miguel stopped at the wreck and scowled. The rookie fainted and one of his deputies approached Miguel, scratching his head confusedly.

"Sir… What do we do now?" he asked.

Miguel looked at the dead bodies scattered about and frowned, "Set a hit out. I want every cop from here to Vegas looking for this…Ghost Rider. I don't appreciate vigilantes." he glanced at the burnt out skull of the leader.

"Especially those that kill and murder."

_Darby Residence…_

The sun was rising as the Rider pulled into the garage, his flames slowly dying. Looking out at the sun, the Rider almost scowled as he stood off his bike. His legs suddenly gave out as light touched him, and he hit the floor with a thud.

As the light slowly passed over him, his fire slowly faded away. All that remained as the light passed over him was Jack. He was exhausted, tired, and felt half dead. He slowly got to his feet and limped into his abandoned house.

His mom must have worked over night at the hospital, as her car wasn't parked out front. Jack barely registered that, as he barely could think straight.

He was just tired….so very…tired….

He made it far as the living room sofa and promptly collapsed into the sofa. Jacks eyes shut and he quickly fell into a deep sleep…

**A/N: Oh…My… God! THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA!**

…**.Sorry, got a little carried away there. Anyway, what'd you guys think of the Riders first outing huh? Pretty awesome/scary as all hell huh? Well guess what? There's more where that came from. Next chapter Jack starts researching the Rider, and we being Operation Breakdown. Oh yeah, you guys know where this is going. So, ideas, critique and the like. Leave them in the review, or PM me with them. And if you don't well…let's just say you'll be getting a spectral visitor soon… Sleep in fear….**

**Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Waking Up

_Darby Residence…_

Light slowly flooded the Darby residence as the sun rose, casting its gentle warmth over the town. And as the light slowly inched up the living room, it cast itself upon the figure who was sleeping on the couch, a troubled expression on his sleeping face.

The light touched his face, shining onto his features. Jacks eye twitched and he let out a tired moan. Slowly, as the light refused to budge, his eyes fluttered open. Only to be immediately blinded by the sunlight.

He covered his eyes and moaned again, "What the heck happened last night?" he groaned.

With another groan, he sat up rubbing his face. Almost immediately he noticed that he wasn't in his pajamas…or in his bed.

Jack blinked a few times as he looked around himself at the living room, "Why was I sleeping in here?" he asked no one in particular. All he remembered from last night was the racing incident with Vince, going inside onto his bed….

And then that weird nightmare.

Talk about odd. A dream where he was visited by that man again and then…turned into some sort of flaming skeleton that went out for a late night ride of punishing the wicked? He needed to lay off the caffeine.

"Just a dream." he muttered and stretched. His vertebrate popped back into place and Jack let out a pleased sigh…as he felt something press against his chest.

He raised a brow, "What…?" and reached into his jacket. He poked around for a moment and felt his fingers wrap around a warm spherical metal object.

Grabbing onto it, Jack pulled the metal object out and opened his hand. A lone metal ball bearing rested in his hand, bobbing from side to side. No. Not a ball bearing. A bullet.

His blood went cold and Jack gulped. Why was there a bullet in his jacket? The cons hadn't shot bullets at him, let alone hit him. Jack was pretty sure no one had shot him when he got home, the only thing he could recall was in the dream when… when that robber shot him six times.

"No…no way." Jack whispered and looked at his jacket. No holes, but when he ran his fingers over himself, he winced. Several areas felt particularly sore. The same area's he'd been supposedly shot last night.

He looked back at the bullet in his hand, "That…that was real!?" the entire event had felt so surreal to him that he had assumed it was a dream. After all, he was only watching events, he had no control over them. Right?

"If…if that was real…" Jack thought for a moment of what that meant. He suddenly gulped and looked at the TV resting across from the couch. If the dream wasn't a dream, if he really had done those things last night…

Jacks hand found the TV remote, clicking the power on. The screen flickered onto the local news channel. And Jacks eyes bulged.

On screen was the very same destroyed van from his dream, the one he had stopped yesterday. Only now the early morning sun was rising over the wreck, and cops swarmed over the wreckage.

The subtitles read 'Five dead in high speed chase. Mysterious Vigilante on the loose.' Jacks hands shook.

The footage suddenly cut to a Latino woman with long brown hair standing near the wreckage, _"This is Roxanne Simpson reporting live from the scene of what was apparently a _brutal _high speed chase concerning six armed men."_

She turned to a familiar face Jack recognized. Miguel Esquivel, Raf's father and the Sherriff of the town, _"Sherriff Esquivel, what do you have to say about what happened here?" _she asked, pointing her mike at him.

Miguel briefly looked at the screen before clearing his throat, _"What happened ma'am is quite simple. We were engaging these dangerous fugitives, when we were interrupted by a vigilante who decided to take the law into his own hands." _he motioned to the wrecked vehicle, _"You can see how well that turned out." _

Jack winced as the interview went on _"According to reports from your deputies, the vigilante in question looked like, and I quote, 'a flaming skeleton on a bike of hellfire.' What do you make of these claims?" _she asked.

The un-amused look on Miguel's face was almost laughable, _"I am not entirely sure what I saw ma'am, but we do know this. He's a dangerous felon, just like the other vigilantes that have been popping up all over the states." _

_"You wouldn't be referring to the team of heroes known as the Avengers would you?" _Roxanne asked, _"Many people praise them and their work as heroes, not vigilantes. You disagree?"_

Miguel sighed, _"Sure, they're heroic now. But what happens if one of them goes bad? Or the whole bunch? Then who stops them? I won't deny they've done good work, but I like to see things from all sides. Plus, now we've got nut jobs like this 'Ghost Rider' running around. As an officer of the law, I can't say I'm happy to see my job taken up by a man who wants to play judge and jury."_

Jack frowned. He had a feeling that would be anyone's feelings towards something like what he'd become last night. Five men dead because of him. Even if he hadn't been in control, if that was going to happen again…He was going to try and control himself.

Roxanne kept a neutral look on her face, _"If that is so Sherriff, then what steps have been taken to catch the 'Ghost Rider'? _she asked.

Miguel re-adjusted himself before answering, _"Well for starters, I've put out a warrant for the man's arrest. Every cop from here to Vegas will be searching for this man. We've also put the fire stations on high alert, for obvious reasons."_

Well he couldn't fault the man for being careful. And it sounded like they were going to be very thorough on this investigation it seemed. Jack decided he needed to be more cautious from now on if he could manage it.

The interview continued_, "But Sherriff, surely finding one man can't be easy."_

Miguel looked at her like she was an idiot, _"Ma'am, he is a skeleton wearing a leather jacket with fire pouring out of every orifice. He's not exactly subtle."_

Jack sighed and shut off the TV. He leaned back against the couch and sighed while rubbing his face, "Way to go Darby." he muttered, "Not only did you sell your soul, but every cop in Jasper and their mother is looking for you. Great job!"

But that aside, Jack was left with a dilemma. What exactly had made him…burst into flames? Why did that happen, and why did he start killing criminals? He needed to know, needed to understand why it had happened.

"Where would I go to find out about something like that though!?" he demanded of his ceiling.

He sat like that for a moment or two…

"The internet! Of course!" he jumped off the couch. If there was anywhere he could figure out what happened to him, it was there.

Jack quickly made his way to his room, shoving open the door. He pealed his jacket off and tossed it onto his bed and took a seat at his desk, turning his desktop on. After sitting through the boot up of the screen,

Once his computer was functioning, he opened a window and went straight to Google. He paused for a moment at the search engine, wondering what to type in before an idea occurred to him.

A moment later the words _skeletal ghost rider _were typed into the search bar. Jack hit enter and a new page popped up. What immediately caught his eye…were the three videos of the cop footage of him attacking the van.

Jack decided to ignore such videos and began searching through the other links. He didn't see much of interest, until he came upon a page that almost seemed to call to him. The link read…

_Legend of the Ghost Rider._

Rather skeptical, Jack clicked on the link to see a single black page with white font written on it. Several bold headings were strung atop the smaller font below them. It seemed serious enough for his purpose. He read the first title.

_The Ghost Rider:_

_Legend says that the Ghost Rider is a servant of the Devil himself. Men corrupted by power and craved more. The Devil gave them this power in return for their immortal soul, tricking the unknowing men into being his servant._

Jack gulped. He'd made a very similar mistake…

_This servant, the Ghost Rider, is a demon of an unknown name that possesses the human host and uses their body to punish the wicked while protecting the innocent. In essence, he is the Devils bounty hunter, tracking down and sending their souls to eternal damnation._

_However, though the Ghost Rider has been briefly seen from times as far back as the mid 1100's, the last known Rider was a man of Carter Slade. A former criminal, he gave up his soul in return for the power to break free of prison. From there he supposedly served for 40 long years until age took him._

_Since then, no Rider has been seen by human eyes and they have faded into myth. No photographs of the Rider was ever taken. All that was ever done was a single picture, shown to the left._

Jack looked at the picture and shuddered. It was a medieval drawing of a knight (Thank you art history) except that his flesh was gone, and flames licked at his armor. His horse was nothing but a flaming skeleton, snorting geysers of flame from its nostrils. _That _was what he turned into!?

Shaking off his horror, Jack skimmed over some more unimportant history of believed Riders and how long they served. He came to a stop at the next heading.

_Abilities:_

_Though claims of the Riders abilities vary from generation to generation, there is one general consensus on the being. One, he is nearly impossible to kill by mortal weaponry. Only a weapon from heaven or hell can harm him and his host. Two, he has control over hellfire._

_Hellfire is a magical fire capable of melting nearly any substance, and able to sear a beings very soul. The Rider can form these into fireballs, weapons, and even use hellfire to manipulate the physical being of his mount. Whether this works on other vehicles is uncertain. What is known is that the Rider cannot manipulate the physical form of a sentient being._

Jack let out a sigh of relief. So at least he wouldn't have to worry about the Rider trying to change the form of the Autobots. Not only would that have been stupid, but incredibly dangerous he reasoned.

After all, changing the physical body of someone? The bots might be able to transform, but that was a natural change. A supernatural one would probably kill or seriously hurt them.

Shaking his head, Jack continued reading.

_Hellfire is also the only _known _power that the Rider's host can use in human form. It's unknown how this power works in human form, or how the host accesses it, except that it _is _possible._

"…What?" Jack stopped his reading again as he processed that information. He could manipulate Hellfire…in human form?

It seemed rather impossible, but then again…

Jack looked at his hands, raising them up from his keyboard, and furrowed his brow in concentration, "Alright, let's try this out…" he mumbled.

Staring at his fingertips, Jack began concentrating hard. He wasn't sure _what _he was supposed to do. All he figured he could do was will the fire onto his fingertips. And for the next ten minutes that's exactly what he did. And for ten minutes nothing happened.

Jack let out a frustrated yell, "The internet lied!" he declared, and slammed his fist onto his desk.

A tongue of flame suddenly shot up from his clenched fist, "Holy crap!" he screamed, falling out of his chair onto the ground.

He stared at his flickering fingers in amazement. He twisted his hands left and right and saw the fire moving over the surface of his hands like water. It felt like a liquid too. A very warm liquid, but a liquid none the less.

Standing back up, Jack looked at the fire again. He tossed it back and forth between his hands, the fire balling up as he essentially juggled it. The boy laughed and grabbed the fire in one hand, twirling it between his fingers as a fiery baton.

"This is awesome!" he declared, spinning a fireball on his index finger like a basketball.

Suddenly, he heard the roar of an engine in his garage and let out a surprised yelp. The fire ball lost its cohesion and fell onto his foot and the ground, quickly catching the rug.

Jack immediately started stamping on the floor, cursing all the while, "Crap crap crap crap!" he repeated over and over. Lucky for him he managed to extinguish the mini blaze before it became a roaring fire. The rug was a little singed, but after throwing a pair of dirty clothes over it, no one would notice it.

Sighing in relief, Jack leaned against the doorway…right as he heard the engine rev again, louder. He recognized the engine as Arcee's and sighed. Probably back to scold him for last night. Great.

Letting out a tired groan, Jack changed his clothes quickly, before making his way to the garage. He opened the door as Arcee revved her engine again.

"I heard you the first time!" Jack yelled as her engine died down.

"Sorry Jack." Arcee apologized, "Been a little on edge since last night. Sort of in a rush."

"Worried about Cons?" Jack asked her, rubbing his ear.

Arcee was silent for a moment, "…Sure." she said while straightening up.

"Now then, how bout we get to base?" she suggested, "The others already beat us there."

Jack smiled faintly, glad to see Arcee wasn't going to try and scold him for his stupid mistake last night. He had enough crap to deal with without her ire to worry about. That said, he wondered if his friends knew about the Rider…

"Sure," he said, hopping on, "Let's go."

They probably didn't. It was recent news, and unless Miko watched the news… Nah, he was just being paranoid…

_Autobot HQ…_

The duo drove into base to see that…it was practically abandoned. No Bulkhead and Miko blaring music, no Raf and Bee racing cars. Only Ratchet at his terminal typing on his computer while muttering to himself.

Jack got off Arcee, who transformed, "Ratchet, where is everyone?" the femme asked.

Ratchet shrugged, "Off scouting a large Energon deposit in the North East. Miko came down with some sort of 'virus', and according to Raf he's not allowed to leave home right now on account of some sort of vigilante."

Jack winced at that but quickly hid it from Arcee and Ratchet, who paid him no mind. Arcee frowned, "I see." she muttered, and began walking towards the med bay.

"But!" Ratchet added, "I have detected a faint Energon signal in the North West. It's low risk so if you and Jack want to investigate, have a little bonding time…"

Arcee rolled her optics, "Funny Ratchet."

Jack looked from the two, "Actually, that does sound…kinda fun." he admitted.

His guardian looked down at him, "If it's no trouble!" Jack added quickly.

Arcee smiled faintly, "Alright then, let's get a move on. Open a bridge Ratchet." she ordered.

The medic nodded and typed in the coordinates. A moment later, the swirling vortex sprang to life. Arcee started forward and Jack followed close behind through the bridge.

They exited into a large forested area, large tree's towering high over head while the faint sounds of animals echoed through the forest. Jack took in a deep breath and sighed. After everything that happened last night, some time relaxing in the forest sounded nice.

Arcee pulled out a scanner, "Okay Mr. Bonding Exercise. Let's move."

**A/N: I know I promised you guys Operation Breakdown, but I got you something better. Predatory. It comes up next chapter, and boy do we have some fun planned tomorrow. The reason for this change is mostly that I will actually follow the order of episodes this time and kinda forgot that Operation Breakdown takes place right before Crisscross, so….oops. That said, what do you guys want to see out of the next chapter (Besides the Penance Stare)? Let me know in the reviews below, or PM me with ideas. In the meantime, I am sorry for the short chapter, but…oh well. Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Riding Through the Past

_Forest, West Coast…_

Now the calmness of the forest normally worked fairly well for someone like Jack. He enjoyed the peace and quiet, the lack of busy work, or heavy metal. It gave him time to think and analyze his situation. But at the moment there were two reasons why he didn't like being in the forest right now.

The first was that he didn't want time to think. With time to think, all he could think about was the Rider. The being that called his body home and was just waiting to be let out. To go out and punish the wicked while leaving the innocent unharmed. And how every person that died because of that, wicked or not, was his fault.

That was something Jack hated to think about. He didn't _want _to think about it, but….Well turn into a skeletal flaming rider, and one is bound to think about that for quite a while. The other reason Jack didn't want to be in the forest though?

All. The damn. Mosquito's.

Jack slapped at his neck as another mosquito tried to take a sip of his blood. That was really starting to test his patience. He was tempted to throw a fireball or two their way.

"Really should have packed some insect repellant" he complained as he followed Arcee through the forest "The mosquito's out here on this routine recon are the size of vampire bats." one of the buggers hovered in front of him.

Making sure Arcee wasn't looking, Jack pointed his index finger at the mosquito and formed his hand into a makeshift gun. A small ball of fire shot from his finger and incinerated the little bugger. Its ashes floated to the ground and Jack blew a bit of steam off the tip of his finger while grinning.

Arcee smirked at him as she examined her scanner "Quite the outdoorsman," she quipped with a small smile "aren't you Jack?"

"Are you questioning my survival skills?" he asked with mock hurt.

She smiled, "Maybe." she said mischievously.

"I may not have metal skin Arcee," Jack started, slapping at another mosquito, "But if I'm in a pinch, I can use my wit to start up a quick fire and shelter for the night." he proclaimed confidently. Not a complete lie, starting up a fire would be easy for him now at this rate.

"You have your tools" Arcee started, "and I have mine" she finished gesturing to the scanner in her servo.

At that moment, the scanner let out a shrill beeping and Arcee examined it "That's odd" she said looking at the device "Ratchets satellite scans were accurate, but subterranean Energon deposits don't cause this kind of surge."

She started down the hill, and Jack followed quickly. Last thing he wanted was to get lost in the woods, especially since he had no idea how close to civilization he was. And powerful as the Rider might be, Jack had a feeling that survival skills were not its forte.

The duo continued trudging through the forest of trees, heading towards the mysterious Energon signal that Ratchet had detected. Jack started to notice that as they grew closer, the tree's seemed to becoming more sparse, and their bark blackened.

Arcee came to a sudden stop as her scanner started beeping again. She looked up as Jack caught up with her. Both of them stood in shock to see a large gash in the ground, extending from the left to the right for hundreds of feet. All the tree's in the immediate vicinity charred and blackened, nothing but smoking stumps. The ground in the center of the gash looked hard and shimmered in the light like a mosaic of shattered obsidian.

"What happened?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Crash landing." Arcee explained looking over the wreckage. Jack looked over the gash with a worried look.

Arcee crouched down, "Stay behind me, low and close" she ordered and began walking towards the crash site, Jack tailing her.

The two walked along the side of the gash, when Arcee took off at a quick jogging pace without warning. As she ran, she would stop behind each tree and peak over it, scanning for any signs of life. Jack imitated her, though with his untrained eye he wasn't much help at the moment.

So instead he just followed Arcee, who came to a sudden stop. She was at the edge of a crater, crouched by a tree. Jack walked up beside her, and followed her gaze. In the center of the crater was a large ship. Its entire front end was burrowed into the ground, with its marred surface sticking high into the air. Energon dripped from the rear engines, pooling in a small alcove between the ship and the ground.

Jack looked from the ship to Arcee "Autobot, or Decepticon?"he asked , as the ship was clearly Cybertronian.

"Can't tell." the femme replied.

Her arms shifted into their blaster forms, "Wait here." she ordered.

She stood up and began circling the crater, as Jack sat crouched by the tree, waiting for her to return. He watched the ship with worry and interest. He wasn't sure why, but he felt uneasy about this ship. It felt…evil, dark, and especially malevolent. A fire in his chest flickered and Jack shook his head. Now was not the time for the Rider to suddenly want to pop out and say hello.

All he needed to do was wait for Arcee to return from scouting the ship.

Arcee approached the ship, walking slowly by its side, blaster raised. She paused as she approached the entrance of the ship. The entrance was open, and she stopped, waiting for a few precious moments to listen for any sign of the occupant.

When she heard none, she spun in front of opening blaster pointed in the entrance. There was no sign of any Cybertronian, Autobot or Decepticon, and she let her blaster drop while keeping it out. Arcee walked in slowly, scanning the darkened halls for a possible ambush.

While she walked inside, Jack continued to wait for his partner/guardian to emerge from the crashed ship. He suddenly spotted the blue and pink figure of Arcee along the side, her servo skimming the hull of the ship. But something was wrong, she seemed… injured. Jack jumped down the hill and ran towards her.

" A-Arcee" he called in worry. Once he got up next to her leg though and put a hand on her shin, his eyes went wide as he suddenly saw what she saw. Felt her pain, the injustice she was experiencing.

_A black and purple eight legged bot._

_A raised blade. _

_A quick flash and the sound of metal on metal. _

_Energon splashing the walls._

Both human and Autobot shook their heads of the memory. Jack tried to make sense of what he just saw, while Arcee stared down at the ground. One possibility running through her mind. If that bot, if that femme was here…

Jack shook himself and looked up at his partner, who still seemed lost in her own little world, "Arcee!?" he yelled. The femmes head shot up as she heard his voice.

"What's wrong?"

Arcee looked down at him, "I know who this ship belongs to" she didn't sound happy about it.

She stood up straight and placed a servo on her comm. "Arcee to base, I need a ground bridge ASAP." nothing but static.

"Wait wait why?" Jack asked "Who's ship is this?" he got she was scared, whatever had caused those memories were bad. But she couldn't just leave him in the dark like that.

Arcee ignored the teen and tried again "Arcee to base do you read?" again static.

"Scrap." she cursed as she began to pace "Comm. link's dead. Ship has to be transmitting a hyper-comm. sequence scrambling pulse." she said as she began to walk away.

Jack followed her "Arcee!" he called again "You're kinda freaking me out here." he admitted. He'd never seen the femme act this way, and was starting to get worried. This time he felt the Rider actually stir in him, but shoved the demon deep into the corners of his mind. This needed subtlety and intelligence. Not murder and retribution.

Arcee approached the edge of the crater and stopped "Wait here." she ordered strictly. Jack stopped, and the femme walked into the woods, leaving him by the ship.

She walked through the woods, examining the trees as she passed them. Deep slashes were cut into them, something no Earth creature could do. Looking down, she saw tracks in the dirt. She knelt and looked down at them. The tracks were made by a thin four legged being, and continued on up the path. And they were still fresh.

Arcee looked up and was hit with another flash of memory.

_She was in a prison cell on Cybertron, her arms restrained. The only light in the room came from the light above, and left the rest of the room in darkness. Arcee struggled to break free, to get away, when she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps._

_She looked up to see a figure cloaked by shadows, only their purpled hate filled eyes visible to her._

_There was the sound of a weapon un sheathing, and a single pointed talon was raised towards her faceplate._

_Arcee struggled to pull her faceplate away, but it was useless. The claw came to rest on her cheek, below her left optic._

_The memory faded to black as the sound of metal screeching against metal could be heard, and Arcee let out a blood curdling scream._

Arcee returned to the present, venting slightly as the painful memory passed. If this was the same bot, the same femme…

"Arcee?" Jack said from her side.

The femme turned to her charge in surprise, a worried look on her face. Without a word she collapsed into vehicle form in front of him.

"Climb on." she ordered.

Jack shrugged and did as he was told. After seeing her memories, he wasn't sure arguing was the best idea at the moment. She was acting jumpy, nervous, almost… afraid? Jack shook his head. Arcee was many things, but she never was afraid, never showed it. But this…it definitely was something that went deep.

Without warning, the femme took off before he could grab his helmet from her sub-space. She began racing through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over hills, all at extreme speeds. The Rider in him let out a cackle as they sped through the trees. Jack though?

Jack let out a few panicked yells as she navigated her way through the forest. He suddenly saw a large ravine ahead "Arcee!?" he screamed. Without even slowing, the Autobot jumped it, Jack letting out a scream as they flew over the ravine and landed safely on the other side.

She came to a screeching halt on the other side Jack let go while panting slightly from the event. The Rider scoffed at him and he ignored it, "Okay was that really necessary?" he asked annoyed.

Jack hopped off, and Arcee ignored his question "Arcee to base." she tried over the comm. again "Scrap!" she cursed as she began to roll forward.

"Look," Jack tried to explain, "I've seen danger before-"

Arcee cut him off "Wait here." she ordered, and then fixed him with a bike glare "I mean it this time."

Jack snorted, rather annoyed, "Okay first you shut me out, and now your ditching me?" he asked angrily. He probably shouldn't but the femme was letting her emotions control. The least she could do is explain the situation to him.

Arcee transformed and looked down at him "I thought I was your partner?" he asked.

Arcee shook her head "No Jack you're a kid." she stated "You're only supposed to be here because it was a no risk scenario." she stomped towards him "got it?" she hissed bitterly.

She transformed and drove back in the direction of the ship, leaving Jack standing there confused. Her bike form easily jumped the ravine and quickly vanished.

Jack shook his head and began to follow. He might have been a kid to her, but he was more than capable of handling himself. Whoever it was that had Arcee strung up like this, he could handle them, right? With the Rider and such on his side he doubted much of anything could hurt him.

He approached the ravine and looked down, squinting his eyes as the sun bore down on him. It was easily a thirty foot drop. He looked to the other side, about forty feet away, and sighed. No way he could jump this. At least not in his human form.

"Well," Jack looked at his hands, "I guess this was inevitable." if this was a con that had Arcee worried, maybe it was time to let the Rider take control. After all, he was technically supposed to be taking care of cons. And this was as good a place as any to start.

Problem? He had no idea how to summon the Rider. Sure he could feel his presence bubbling about in him ever since they got near that ship. But he didn't know how to bring him out. So for a good two or three minutes Jack stood in the sun focusing and trying to let the Rider out. Yet he seemed determined to do the exact opposite.

Stupid skeleton.

"Fine." Jack crossed his arms, "You want to leave me high and dry? Then good for you." he looked at the ravine and sighed. Time for a long climb.

_Elsewhere…_

Arcee sped through the woods at a blistering speed, heading back to the original spot where she had found the tracks. Her processor was full of conflicting emotions and thoughts. Anger, confusion, worry, and fear just to name a few. Despite these, she shoved them all aside and focused on the trees ahead of her. Emotions would just get in the way of what needed to be done right now.

She came to a stop at the tracks and transformed, arming her blaster. She walked through the forest, senses on full alert, looking from side to side, expecting her target to suddenly appear at any moment. The sound of something smoldering nearby caught Arcee's attention, and she swiveled to her right.

She froze. A tree had been burnt clean through by the stump by a green acidic like substance Arcee looked at it in horror as more memories returned.

_Blaster fire could be heard everywhere as she ran through the deserted streets of one of the many dead cities of Cybertron. It had likely had a name once, but it had long been lost to the ravages of war._

_"Arcee to delta team," she commed "requesting rendezvous coordinates, do you copy?"_

_"Arcee you lost again?" her partner Tailgate joked over the comm."Your sense of direction could use some improvement." he quipped._

_Arcee smiled as she ran, dodging blaster fire "So could your aim tailgate." she retorted as she continued to run "If you'd tagged that sniper back at the artillery depot, we wouldn't have had to break rank and engaged the enemy hand to hand." she lectured._

_She ran into a relatively abandoned plaza, with no sign of con or bot activity "Judging by the sound of things, I'm guessing you came out ahead?" he asked in worried tone._

_She walked through the plaza to get to the rendezvous, blaster raised "Try waiting up for me this time, and I'll give you the blow by blow." she said with a smile "What's your position?" she asked._

_"About half a click from the depot due north." he answered "Think you can find it partner?" he asked, the humor evident in his voice._

_"Trust me Tailgate" she said as she lowered her guard "My navigation abilities are-" her bragging was cutoff as a string of thick gooey substance slammed her into a wall with a grunt. She struggled against it, grunting as she tried to break free._

_She looked forward and saw a slim black and purple femme approaching her, before she shot another strand of the stuff at her, obscuring her vision._

_Later Arcee was struggling against the stasis cuffs holding her above the floor. Try as she might though, she couldn't break free._

_She heard the sound of steps behind. The sound of a cool seductive female voice interrupted her struggles "Piece of advice" she said as she circled Arcee "Make yourself comfortable."_

_The femme stopped in front of her, before walking forward, slowly raising her talon "You're going to be here a while." she said sadistically. _

_Arcee tried pulling her faceplate away from the talon, but the cuffs restrained her. The talon stopped on her cheek, and slowly drew across it, leaving a deep burning cut in her faceplate, it sizzled from the acidic touch of her captor. Arcee hung her helm in exhaustion._

Arcee shook herself from the memory, and armed her blaster. She wouldn't let that glitch escape. Not this time, not after what she'd done. With her mind cleared, she began moving through the forest faster. The sun was beginning to set, causing the shadows of the trees to grow long and twisted, like deformed hands reaching out to grasp something, anything.

Arcee ran, until she came to a stop at the top of the hill, and examined the scene before her. To her left was a human campsite, but to her right…

To her right, it was her, the femme that had done so much to her, quickly skittering across the forest floor on her extra legs. Arcee knew she was heading for the human in the tent and sprang into action.

She rushed down the hill, and right as her femme target leapt through the air, Arcee tackled her to the side. The two began struggling and wrestling as they tumbled down the hill. Their chassis boomed and sparked against the ground while they rolled.

Eventually they came to the bottom and released each other, flying in opposite directions. Arcee flew and slammed into the wall of a cliff, while the black femme skid across the ground. Four legs sprouted from her back and slammed into the ground, slowly lifting her off the ground.

The black femme began to approach Arcee casually. Arcee struggled to her feet, when her enemy spoke, "Arcee" she hummed with perverse delight "small universe." she purred

"To small… Airachnid." Arcee growled angrily.

"Still holding a grudge?" the spider bot asked nonchalantly, while circling Arcee "The war's been over for mega-cycles."

"Tell that to the Decepticons." Arcee snapped as she took up her fighting position.

"These days I travel solo" Airachnid explained "In pursuit of my new hobby"

"I got a look at your souvenir case" she growled at the femme. Memories of the horrific scene she had seen in aboard her ship flashed through her processor. In her ship she had seen dozen's of alien heads, hung up like some sort of sick trophy case.

"You mean my trophies?" She asked proudly "I collect endangered species" she paused for a moment "Of course they aren't really endangered, until they meet me, and I have a new slot reserved for humanity." she said darkly.

"Not gonna happen." Arcee promised, and she charged the spider bot.

She tackled Airachnid into the ground, and raised her fist to strike. She felt her extra legs grab her before she could, and fling her back into the cliff side wall, causing dust and rubble to fall. Airachnid quickly got up rubbing her vocal processor as she did. Arcee stood up as well, and shifted bot her arms into blasters, firing a barrage of Energon blasts at the spider.

Airachnid avoided the blasts with ease, and jumped between two trees, the trees groaning in protest under her weight. The femme unleashed several strings of web, that tied Arcee's blasters together and grabbed hold of the webbing in her servo's. The two struggled in a game of tug of war, before Arcee finally managed to rip the con from the trees. Airachnid landed on the ground with a thud.

Arcee struggled to rip her arms free of the webbing when an idea struck her. Leaning down, she used the sharpened edge of her boot armor to cut through the webbing with ease. She flung it to either side of her, before unleashing another barrage of blasts at Airachnid.

The femme shielded her eyes from the blasts for a brief moment, before returning fire on Arcee. Arcee charged toward Airachnid, jumping onto a tree branch. Grabbing hold of it, she quickly spun around it, launching herself into the air. She landed on another tree, and jumped at Airachnid, delivering a straight kick to the spider-bots' chest.

She stood over the femme victorious, and armed her blasters at her face, ready to end it. Airachnid squinted from the glare, when the sound of tumbling rocks caught both of their attention.

Arcee let a small gasp escape as she saw Jack climbing down the hill. How he had gotten over the ravine, let alone found her was beyond her. Right now she had to finish Airachnid, and get him to safety before something happened.

Airachnid smirked as she used Arcee's momentary distraction to knock her off. Arcee stumbled backwards, and tried straightening, but had been tired by the fight. Before she could recover, Airachnid stood and fired twin shots of webbing at the femme, trapping her to the wall.

Arcee sat trapped against the wall, grunting as she struggled "Arcee!" Jack called as he raced towards her.

His voice caught the attention of Airachnid, who turned toward the boy with a gleeful hiss. Arcee looked at Jack and Airachnid in horror, before another idea struck. She quickly formed one of her blades, and cut away the webbing holding her left arm in place. Shifting it into a blaster she fired a blast at the femme striking her directly in the chest.

Airachnid flew back from the blast, and hit the ground in a heap, struggling for a moment to get back up and failing. She fell back unconscious and her legs shriveled up. For the moment she wasn't a threat to anyone.

Arcee scolded Jack as he approached her "I told you to wait for me!" she yelled.

"Well partners don't ditch partners." he stated. He immediately got to work trying to free Arcee, only to find the webbing incredibly hard to tear apart. Cursing, he wished he could use his hellfire to free Arcee. He wasn't sure though what effect it would have on her, so he stuck with trying to tear the substance off.

"Get this through your head." Arcee ordered, "You're not my partner, you're a liability!" she yelled

Jack shook his head "I don't believe you." he said stubbornly "I can see it in your eyes, you're afraid Arcee, and your _never_ afraid."

Arcee looked away in shame, when the memories hit her, and by extension Jack, again.

_Arcee was hung up in the same cell, while Airachnid continued to circle her, like a predator, searching for its prey's weakness._

_"You know, for an Autobot, your resilience is quiet impressive" she commented "In fact, I'm guessing that no matter what I do to you, you'll never crack."_

_Arcee was silent "Am I right?" Airachnid asked, earning only a glare from Arcee._

_"That's what I thought." she said matter of factly._

_The cell door opened and two Vehicons walked in, carrying a limp form between them. It took a moment, but Arcee's optics widened in fear and worry, as she recognized her partner "Tailgate?" she whispered_

_The two troopers marched him over to a spot in the cell, before placing two cuffs on him. He groaned in pain slightly, as electricity surged into the cuffs, and lifted his arms above him._

_"What have you done to him?" Arcee demanded._

_Airachnid chuckled lightly "Not much, yet." she stated darkly._

_She began circling Arcee again "Just tell me what I want to know or well… You're a smart bot. I think you can imagine what happens to tailgate next."_

_"I don't know the attack coordinates." Arcee said quickly._

_Airachnid scowled, and slowly approached Tailgate "I swear upon the allspark it's the truth!" she yelled._

_"We shall see." Airachnid casually said as she approached Arcee's partner._

_Airachnid's legs switched to attack mode "No! Please!" Arcee begged tears forming in her optics._

_Airachnid growled in anger._

_She raised her extra leg to strike._

_There was the sound of metal striking metal. _

_Energon splashed against the wall._

_"TAILGATE!"_

The memory of her partners demise quickly passed through Arcee's mind and she looked back at the boy who looked a bit stunned by what he saw. And unsure of how to react to it.

"Your right Jack I am afraid" she admitted "Of losing you!"

Jack looked up at the femme in shock. Arcee, worried about losing him?

His surprise was interrupted by the cool voice of Airachnid "You sure have trouble hanging on to your partners don't you?" she asked as she approached "We all remember what happened to Tailgate."

Arcee scowled at the femme, while Jack stood in front of her protectively. He wouldn't let this con hurt _his_ partner, even without the Rider.

Airachnid continued to speak "But I recently picked up some Decepticon radio chatter regarding the passing of Cliffjumper." she sadistically said. Jack glared at her, while Arcee began to vent in panic.

"At some point you really need to ask yourself something Arcee," Airachnid smiled in vicious delight "is it them, or me?"

"Do you get it now Jack?" Arcee said frantically "She's not interested in me, she hunts indigenous species." she paused as she let it sink in "She's on earth, that means humans, you!"

Jack's eyes widened in horror "RUN!" Arcee screamed. All the fear she'd been holding back was released in that one word.

Realizing exactly what would happen if he stayed, and the Rider refusing to work…he ran as fast as he could towards the forest, sparing one last glance at Arcee. Airachnid blasted another web over the old one restraining Arcee in place once more.

Airachnid laughed while she approached Arcee, who was fiercely struggling against the webbing "And that's why I prefer to work alone," she slammed one of her extra legs into the wall behind Arcee, and lifted her faceplate to eyelevel with a single talon "It's so sad when something bad happens to those close to you."

She began to crawl up the side of the wall until she was staring at Arcee upside down "But, don't get me wrong" she smiled, exposing her sharpened denta "I still plan to snuff out your spark." her voice became darker "and believe me, I _will_ make it hurt."

"But that won't compare to the pain you'll feel, knowing I'm adding your human, to my collection." she said in a sickeningly happy tone. She turned her head to look at the fleeing form of Jack.

He'd already made it to the top of the hill, and only looked back for a moment, before he took off again.

Airachnid jumped off the wall, and landed with a loud crash, causing dust to spread everywhere. She chuckled "Oh I do love it when they run." and she began to track her down.

Arcee watched the femme leave, her spark full of fear, and failure. Jack was likely going to die, and it would be her fault. It wasn't fair, first Tailgate, then Cliffjumper, and now… Jack. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

All this, all these thoughts, emotions, and frustrations, she let out in a single scream.

"JACK!"

_The Forest…_

The sun had fallen even lower now, and Jack ran through the forest. He had tried several times to call upon the Rider, but it was as if the demon inside him didn't care that his host was likely about to die. So Jack had given up on the Rider at this point and was just trying to survive.

He cursed himself for not studying more on the Rider. He only knew the basics of the demon, and now he was going to die because of that. Because he wanted to protect Arcee from what he had seen happen to her. But without the Rider… He could see why Arcee wanted him to run.

But Jack wasn't like that. He was practically hard wired to help people, and no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't have left her to face the spider bot alone. She was his partner, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

He kept running, as he heard Airachnid beginning to gain speed "That's the spirit Jack, play hard to get." she taunted.

_The Cliff Face…_

Arcee struggled against the webbing that covered her. She had to break free, had to protect Jack. That boy had been through too much for them, done too much for her, for her to let Airachnid get her sick servos on him.

She let out another frustrated yell, as the memories returned, once again.

_She looked forward, optics lacking any form of emotion, at the sharpened claw. The same claw that ended Tailgate, would end her. The only sign of any emotion on Arcee's face, was the stained tears, and slight trembling._

_It was her fault. All her fault, and now he was dead, and soon Arcee would join him._

_As Airachnid prepared to end her pain, a loud explosion ripped through the door, distracting her. Airachnid turned around with a hiss, before fleeing the torture chamber._

_A yellow mech slid into the chamber, blasters firing and offlining any Vehicon in the chamber. Another red mech, entered with a body type similar to Tailgate's though the color and head were different_

_He approached Arcee, and cut the power to her cuffs. She fell to the ground, her legs and will too weak to stand. The yellow bot approached and helped the red one carry her between them._

_"I-I couldn't save him!" she cried as they helped walk her out "I couldn't save my partner."_

Arcee returned to the present, and vented miserably. All her fault. It was all her fault.

"Jack I'm sorry," she whispered "I never should have looked back. Should have kept… Driving." an idea hit her. She grit her denta. She wasn't going to let Airachnid take another partner from her. Not this time.

_The Forest…_

Jack was breathing heavily as he jumped over a fallen log. The sun had nearly set, but any of its rays were being blocked by the thick cloud cover, shrouding them in darkness. He tripped over the log, and fell face first. He stood up and brushed himself off while listening to the forest for Airachnid.

He heard nothing at first, just the gentle chirping of animals. No sound of metal feet on the ground. But then, Airachnid was a hunter, so she likely knew how to move as silent as she needed to. Bad news for him.

The quite was suddenly interrupted though when he heard the sound of her metal feet nearby. His head shot from side to side, looking for a place to hide. The only place close enough it seemed, was the log he'd jumped over. Shaking his head, he ducked underneath the log and waited.

He heard her metal legs digging into the dirt drawing ever closer. He tried keeping as still and quiet as possible, but even the sound of his breathing sounded loud. He felt her presence then, as he heard two servos clamp onto the log. A single thin spiderlike leg passed overhead, and slid into the dirt. Then another, and another.

Jack realized he'd had a lucky break. Airachnid was passing over him. He looked up and saw her slim form passing over head. Her two lead legs suddenly stopped in front of him. Jack held his breath as she stopped.

"Hello, Jack." she said as her head appeared in front of him.

Jack let out a frightened yell and reacted out of instinct. A ball of fire went flying into Airachinds optic, making the spider bot rear back and screech in pain. She clutched at her ruined optic, which bought Jack enough time to start running again.

Airachnid let go of her optic and shot webbing at him, but the shot missed and hit a tree, as Jack made a sharp left. Jack kept running through the maze of a forest, trying to outrun Airachnid and very thankful her aim was off…for now.

Even so, it seemed like the spider-bot was barely putting any effort into actually chasing him, instead choosing to casually stalk him instead. She let out a blood chilling screech, but Jack ignored it.

Jack saw the ravine he crossed earlier ahead, and let out a silent sigh of relief. He scrambled over the edge, his hands and feet slipping and struggling to keep him from falling to his death. Once at the bottom, he rushed up the opposite wall as fast as he could. He reached the top in record time and started running again, ignoring the painful burning in his lungs.

He looked over his shoulder as he ran and saw Airachnid easily leap the ravine in a single bound.

"That is so not fair." he muttered to himself.

He ran through the trees, and came to a stop when he came to a familiar clearing. They're lying in the middle of it, was Airachnids ship. Seeing no better place to hide, he quickly ran to the front, hiding behind a support pillar for the ramp at the front.

He heard Airachnid approach and stop "Now where did you wander off to?" she asked in mock curiosity. She crawled onto the top of her ship and Jack cursed. With her up there, that left him with only one other option… Her ship.

Jack gulped and quickly ran up the ramp inside. Immediately he felt the Rider stir as he entered this…evil place. The entire ship gave off nothing but hate, pain, and suffering. The dark gloomy halls were so poorly lit that Jack could barely see two feet in front of him.

He immediately fixed this problem by letting a fireball materialize in the palm of his hand. And almost immediately he wished he hadn't. The glow of the fire cast far shadows on the wall and onto Airachnids 'trophy' cases. The dozens of alien heads resting on stands seemed to glare down at Jack. The teen felt bile rise up in the back of his throat, and the Rider stirred again.

"Oh god…" he gagged, "What was I thinking?"

This was…disgusting. But it was also away from Airachnid. So for now…that would have to do. Jack started walking through the eerie and disgusting halls, ignoring the decapitated alien heads the best he could. He was met with...limited success.

It seemed that _now _the Rider was starting to get restless now. As if he just was waiting for complete proof that Airachnid was an evil being that needed to be punished. Great timing.

Jack found himself at a large shut door, several wires and…chains hanging from the edges of the wrecked door. He pointed his free hand at the door and let fire flicker along his hand. The door sparked and sizzled when he placed it against the door, but besides that nothing happened. A frown crossed his face.

"So much for being able to melt through anything." Jack sighed.

He looked around the room again, when he heard a voice behind him, "If you wanted a tour so badly Jack, all you had to do was ask." Airachnid cooed.

Jack whirled to face the smirking femme and fire sparked across his finger tips, "Stay back!" he warned, backing towards the door.

Airachnid casually stepped forward, her spiderlike legs folded behind her. A smirk was ever present on her face, "Or what? You'll fling another fire ball in my face?" she scratched at her singed optic, "Annoying as that was." she bared her claws, "I think I'd prefer your head in one of my cases. Seeing the look on Arcee's faceplate alone will make it worth it."

Jack let out a growl and materialized two fireballs in his hands, "Then come and get me glitch!" he challenged. He started back pedaling to the side and flung both fireballs at Airachnid. They exploded against her shoulder, leaving scorch marks but leaving her otherwise unharmed.

"I think I've had enough of this." she said, brushing her shoulder clean and focusing her violet optics on Jack.

He had backed himself into a literal corner now, leaving him stuck. She smirked and plucked him off the ground, "Well, as fun as it was Jack," she flung him at the nearest wall where he disappeared into shadow, "I have unfinished business to finish."

And with the teen disposed of, she started strolling towards the exit. She'd made it to the ramp, when she heard the sound of metal on metal, and fire blazing. Suddenly, she heard an echoing cackle and looked around in time for a something to collide with her face.

Airachnid screeched as her faceplate was torn up by the object, and stumbled to the side. She looked up while grasping at her faceplate to see something she'd never could have imagined. A lone figure standing in her hall, a skull face that was lit on fire. It was dressed in a leather jacket, dark grey pants, and biker boots. In his right hand he held one of the chains from her ship.

"What the pit are you!?" she hissed.

The Rider cracked his neck from side to side before looking at her with his empty eye sockets, _**"Your retribution!" **_his voice crackled through the hall.

"Uh huh, right." Airachnid said, less than impressed. She raised her blasters and started firing at the Rider.

The Rider rolled to the side dodging the first two with ease. He then whipped his chain out and began spinning it in front of him. A whirlwind shield of fire materialized in front of him, and the blaster shots bounced off it harmlessly. Airachnid dropped her blasters in shock while the Rider flung his chain out behind him.

Cackling madly, he flung it forward and Airachnid shrieked as hot metal wrapped around her neck. She struggled against the hold, grabbing the chain with her servos, only to scream again. Fire laced up and around the chain, leaving deep burns in her neck and servos.

_**"Hasn't anyone ever told you?" **_the Rider laughed, _**"Play with fire and you get burned!"**_

Airachnid was yanked to her knees while snarling, "I'll tear you apart for this!" she roared, blasting webbing at the Rider.

It slammed into his side, and for a brief moment distracted him long enough for the chain to loosen around Airachnids neck. She ripped it off as the Rider incinerated the webbing. He looked at the femme, whose legs were poised to strike and snorted.

Bringing his fingers to his mouth, he let out a shrill whistle. Suddenly, a flaming portal burst open, and his bike came roaring out in front of him, its wheels of Hellfire flaring brightly. The Rider stepped on.

_**"You wanna fight?" **_he challenged, _**"Then lets rumble!" **_

The Rider revved the engine and roared out of Airachnids ship, "I'll kill you!" she shrieked, sprinting after him on her four spidery legs.

The Rider cackled maniacally at this, racing out of the ship and drifting to the side. Airachnid scrambled out and slid into a tree. She crashed with a thud while the Rider laughed again. Airachnid let out a roar of rage and ran full speed at the Rider.

His engine roared and he took off next to her ship as Airachnid raced after him. He raised the front of his bike up and suddenly jumped into the air, and twisted to the side. His wheels sucked him to the side of her ship, and the Rider raced along the side and moved to the top of her ship.

Airachnid snarled and jumped after him onto the roof, chasing him to the quickly approaching edge, "No were left to run!" she declared, readying her blasters.

The Rider grabbed the chain wrapped around his chest, "Who said anything about running!?" he roared, and suddenly turned on a dime, streaking back at Airachnid. He whirled the chain behind him like an old fashioned lasso, and tied flung it around Airachnids legs as he drove under her.

The chain screamed tight and the femme was suddenly knocked onto her faceplate, getting dragged along her ship. The Rider drifted to the side off the ship, dragging Airachnid behind him. She hit the ground with a crash, only for the Rider to turn to the side again.

The femme let out a scream as she was flung into the forest and the Rider rocketed forward. She crashed through tree after tree, the wood tearing at her armor and buffeting her. Finally, the Rider turned towards the Energon pool and came to a speeding and sudden stop.

Airachnids momentum though…did not stop.

She continued to fly forward, soaring over the Rider and splashing into the Energon pool. The Rider let his bike rumble quietly while stepping off of it and approaching the edge of the Energon pool.

Airachnid stumbled to her pedes to see the…flaming…skeleton…at the edge of the highly volatile…Energon…

"Oh scrap."

The Rider held up his flaming skeletal hands, _**"Oh yes." **_he responded, and plunged both of them into the Energon.

The reaction was instant.

A massive fireball engulfed the ship, the sound booming over the entire forest. The explosions rippled along the ship, tearing through the metal like tissue paper and capturing Airachnid and the Rider in the blast. The entire area shook and shuddered from the blast, any trees nearby bending over from the blast.

When it was over, the area was unnaturally quiet, the smoke cloud rising high into the air above them all. As the smoke cleared, it revealed that the bike of the Rider was gone along with Airachnids ship, which was just a smoldering wreck.

The Rider himself lay on his back, his flames flickering weakly. His body slowly stirred as he sat up in the night, rubbing his skull.

_**"Ugh…" **_he moaned, _**"What happened…?" **_the Rider froze and brought his skeletal hands in front of his face.

If his eye sockets could move they would have gone with shock and fear. Because it wasn't the Rider in control anymore. He was out cold. It was Jack in control now…

And of course, he nearly freaked. Nearly.

To his credit, he managed to stay calm for the most part, he mostly just stared at his skeletal hands, flexing them in and out, _**"How is this possible?" **_he asked aloud. This time he heard his voice and his hands flew to his throat…

Only to wrap around his spine.

_**"Gah!" **_he immediately released his spine and decided to stand up, _**"I thought the… the Rider was the dominant force in this form?" **_he wondered aloud.

He would need to do more research back home, _**"But I need to change back first." **_he admitted. Looking at his skeletal hands, Jack concentrated again, only to be met with the same result. He remained in the form of the Rider.

He let out a very demonic sigh, scratching his skull, _**"Great Darby. Not only did you get possessed by the Rider, but now you **_**are **_**the Rider. Great."**_

Not knowing how to fix his predicament, Jack decided the next logical course of action would be to find Arcee. At the very least he could use his fire to burn through the webbing. He started walking in her direction, and stopped at the edge of the forest. If he still had skin it'd be bright red, as Jack remembered his little encounter with her as the Rider.

_**"Oh this is going to be awkward." **_he muttered.

He still needed to find her though, and continued to the forest. Walking off, Jack started his way back into the forest when he suddenly heard a familiar sound. Something hard and sticky struck his foot, and he looked down and saw the familiar white webbing that belonged to Airachnid. He looked up and saw, to his horror, the femme still lived, albeit burned and dented.

The spider-bot launched another web at Jack, slamming him into a tree behind him. She jumped down from her position above, and began to approach the boy "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart you freak." she snarled.

She kept her servo away from his face, but needless to say, she looked furious as she stared at him, "Your skull will make a lovely addition to my collection!" she decreed.

At that exact moment though, luck was on Jacks side again, as Arcee's engine roared through the forest and the femme shot through the air. She transformed to robot mode and delivered a swift kick to Airachnids midsection.

Airachnid hissed at Arcee, right as Arcee opened fire on her. In her current state, the spider bot was in no condition to fight. So she chose flight instead.

Jumping into the air, Airachnid began spinning her legs functioning as a drill to dig a deep hole into the ground. Arcee fired at her as she drilled away, but to no avail. Running to the edge of the pit, she fired into the hole after her and snarled.

"Airachnid!" she screeched, right as the femme vanished.

The Spider bot gone, the femme straightened up and looked at the figure webbed to the tree. She had assumed Airachnid was attacking Jack. So needless to say, seeing the "Rider" there was rather shocking to Arcee.

"You!?" she demanded, storming towards Jack as he tore the webbing off his chest.

He looked up at Arcee, right as she pointed a blaster at his skull face, "You have exactly ten seconds to explain why you're here and what happened to the boy!" she roared.

Jack looked from the blaster to Arcee's optics, and let out a sigh, _**"Arcee…It's me. I am Jack."**_

"And I'm Solus Prime reincarnated." Arcee deadpanned.

_**"I'm serious. It's me." **_Jack protested. He knew she wouldn't believe him of course, but a guy could hope.

Arcee narrowed her optics, "Prove it." she growled.

He locked 'eyes' with her, _**"When we met, you told me that if I told anyone about you, you would hunt me down. Last night Vince was captured by Knockout and we had to rescue him. A week before that, Miko, Raf, and I had to steal the Energon Harvester from a museum. That enough proof?"**_

Arcee lowered her blaster's, optics wide, "It's really you Jack?" she sure didn't sound like she believed herself.

Jack spread his arms and nodded. The fire around his head and hands flickered, _**"In the flesh…or lack of I guess."**_

"What happened to you?" Arcee asked. Seeing her charge as the flaming bike from last night… was not something she could say she'd seen coming. No one could have.

Jack sighed, _**"Sit down. It's a long story…"**_

**A/N: So…How awesome was that ending on a level of one to ten? I bet none of you expected this to happen huh? And what's more!? A cliffhanger! Oh noes! Tomorrow I promise I will update, and we get more lovely Ghost Rider action at the end. That said, what did you think of the rest of the chapter huh? Good, bad, meh? I worked hard on it, so let me know. And remember to leave ideas in the reviews, or PM me if you don't like doing that. Either way, let me know what you guys want me to do! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Explanations.

_Unknown Location, Unknown Time…_

The night was young, the darkness engulfing the area. No stars and no moon illuminated the area. No creatures moved, no sound was made.

Except for two.

The sound of shoes on dirt, walking through the area. Two shadowy figures were walking through this dark dark place. One taller than the other, and thicker built. The smaller one looked around nervously.

"This…this doesn't seem like a good idea." the figure noted.

His taller guide barely spared him a glance as they walked, "I've researched it for over two years. There are no flaws in this plan." he said casually.

The shorter male seemed to disagree, as he hefted the bag he carried nervously, "But I don't think we should-"

"Do you want to undo the damage done?" the taller man demanded. He carried his own duffel bag behind his waist.

Silence.

"That is what I thought." they came to a stop, and the figure dropped his bag.

He looked over the area before turning to his henchman, "This is perfect. Get to work. I will begin the ceremony."

_Forest, West Coast…_

Arcee had seen and experienced many a strange thing in her long life. She had seen alien worlds, traveled into space, destroyed a space bridge, and was friends with a human. All things that were fairly strange for her.

But seeing her charge as a flaming biker skeleton, sitting casually on a log while he thought about how to explain his predicament to her…

That was a new one.

In fact this whole situation was feeling pretty surreal to Arcee. It had started off with the return of her arch nemesis and now it was ending with her wanting an explanation from this 'Ghost Rider' that claimed to be Jack.

And she was starting to get impatient, tapping her pede with her arms crossed, "I'm waiting." she informed the skeletal figure.

The area around Jack was gently illuminated by his fire and he let out a tired sigh. The moon was just starting to set and if one looked they could see the sky graying off to the east slightly. The sun would be rising and shining soon enough.

_**"It's…really complicated Arcee…" **_Jack started, still not used to the sound of his voice like this.

"We've got time." The femme replied, not budging.

Jack should have seen that coming, and resisted the urge to try and pinch his nose. Which at the moment was nonexistent. Skull face and all.

_**"Okay…Well, do Cybertronians have something like a Hell? A Devil? Someone who kinda represents evil?" **_he asked. He really hoped she just said yes. He did not want to try and explain this further. He wasn't exactly the religious type and trying to explain it all to Arcee…it was more trouble than it was worth.

Arcee raised an optic ridge, "We do, but what's that got to do with you being…on fire?" she didn't see the connection.

Jack sighed and looked away, _**"Two years ago, I sold my soul to the Devil. This is what I got in return."**_

That surprisingly didn't make Arcee feel any better. Oh she believed him, nothing scientific or logical could _possibly _explain what Jack had become. It was the fact that her partner sold his soul to the Cybertronian equivalent of Unicron that had her confused and…more than a little disgusted.

"So you sold your soul for this?" she growled, letting her disgust show.

_**"No no no!" **_Jack shook his head and hands at that, his flames flickering wildly, _**"That's not why!" **_he had a feeling Arcee would misinterpret what he meant.

"Then why?"

He placed his skeletal fingers on his temples and rubbed them. Surprisingly that was still an effective stress relief, even without any flesh.

_**"It…" **_he sighed again, no point beating around the bush, _**"Two years ago my dad was diagnosed with HIV. It's an incurable disease that destroys the immune system over time. 100% fatal eventually." **_it was a broad generalization, but enough that Arcee nodded her head as she understood.

_**"I… overheard my folks talking about it privately and I was pretty freaked. I knew that money wasn't exactly something we had a lot of. I mean mom just started as a nurse and dad was a mechanic." **_

_**"Not enough for treatment, and our life insurance didn't cover it… So I started thinking of ways to get a little money to ease the burden…make my dad's life a little easier, ya know?" **_he bowed his head and really wished he had eye lids so he could clench his eyes.

_**"I was desperate, I wanted to help, and so…he came…" **_Jacks head and shoulders sagged. Arcee didn't need to guess who 'He' was.

_**"All I had to do was sign the contract, and all our money problems would go away." **_he let out a bitter laugh _**"Well, I signed it, and they went away…At the cost of my dads life…"**_

"But I thought-"

_**"My dad died in a car accident the next day. The insurance was enough that mom and I have paid the bills with it for the past two years. No more money troubles." **_He rested his skull in his bony hands.

_**"I was so stupid to think my dad would actually live. And after that, the Devil confronted me, took my soul, and last night he came back and…well you see what he did." **_he gestured at the blazing skull that was his face.

"He…turned you into a skeleton?" Arcee had to admit, that was…beyond odd.

Jack shook his head and reclined against a branch jutting up from the fallen log. The log was so badly burnt that his fiery hair couldn't even light it.

_**"This isn't me, it's…well basically, the Devil took my soul and replaced it with a demon."**_

Arcee blinked a few times, "I'm sorry, could you…repeat that?"

_**"This form, is… belongs to a demon only known as, 'The Rider'."**_ Jack sighed, _**"He's the Devils Bounty Hunter… He hunts the wicked and punishes them, sending their souls to hell… Just so happens I'm his newest host, as I found out last night." **_he looked down at the skeletal hands he had, clenching them tight.

Arcee leaned against a tree as she processed all this. Initially she had thought Jack had sold his soul for power. After all, the Rider seemed very powerful indeed. And if he had, Arcee wasn't sure if she'd have wanted to deal with him anymore. But according to what he said, he hadn't wanted this. He just wanted to help his family. She almost shook her head happily, typical Jack.

Always putting himself above others…even if this was often the result.

That said though, all this information raised one last question, "If this is the Rider's form…why are you in control? And why haven't you turned back?"

Jack pondered that for a moment _**"Honestly? I don't know." **_he freely admitted, _**"All I remember from the Rider's perspective was a huge explosion and next thing I knew, I was in control again. I think the Rider was knocked out." **_

Arcee laughed, "So you have a powerful demon possessing you…and he's knocked out?" despite how serious the situation was… That was hilarious to her.

The flaming skeletal teenager shook his head and looked at the graying sky, _**"I tried changing back, but for some reason I can't. Every time I try, nothing happens…"**_

"That's going to be a problem." Arcee noted, standing up off the tree, "If we wait here any longer, the team will get worried and they'll come looking for us."

Jack stiffened. That was not good, not good at all. It was hard enough explaining his condition to Arcee. Lord help him if he had to deal with the entire Autobot team. If only he could figure out a way to revert back to normal!

Arcee knelt down and raised an optic ridge while tapping her chin, "Hmm, maybe the Rider needs to be in control for you to revert back?" she suggested.

Jack shuddered and his flames flickered uneasily, _**"I hope not. I wouldn't know the first thing about waking him up. And even if I did, I don't think I could control him." **_

He sighed, _**"And what if he tries to attack you? I mean you've fought in a war most of your life, there might have been someone innocent who just got caught in the crosshairs that you didn't know about. If there was… I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of me."**_

It was sappy yes, but that didn't make it any less true. Arcee was his friend and partner, and hurting her would fill him with far too much guilt. There had to be another way to revert to normal.

"Jack," Arcee started, "I don't think that you'd let the Rider hurt me. You've got a pretty strong will. You just need to use it. But I think the Rider is the only one who can get you back to being…well you."

_**"Yeah, but…" **_the protest died in his…well not throat. Spinal flames? Terminology was weird.

"Just give it a shot." Arcee encouraged him. He inwardly sighed, there was no changing her mind.

Looking up, Jack took in a deep breath and focused. He looked deep into his mind, searching for that fiery presence he started feeling at the edge of his conscious. Flickering in and out, as if waiting for the moment to break free.

At the moment, all he felt was nothing but his old mind… And then suddenly he found a spark. And the result was instant. The Rider woke up and Jack collapsed to his knee's as the two consciousness's fought for control of the body.

"Jack!?" Arcee moved towards her charges body, when his entire body was engulfed in fire.

The Rider stood as fire burned the area around him, and cracked his neck from left to right. The flames around his head flared brightly, snatching hungrily at the air. He was back in control, and Jack was shoved into a corner of his mind where, in the Rider's opinion, he belonged.

_**"Sorry," **_he mocked, _**"Jack's not available at the moment. Can I take a message?"**_

Arcee narrowed her optics, "Funny. Let Jack go and turn back to his human body." she ordered, "It's the only reason he woke you up in the first place."

The Rider tapped his chin in mock interest, _**"I'll have to say…no. No I won't." **_he was rather matter of fact about that.

"I can make you." Arcee growled, her servos shifting to blasters. The Rider laughed at her threat.

_**"The spider barely lasted two minutes against me. What chance do you have femme?" **_he asked, before turning around and whistling. His bike appeared and rumbled towards him.

Arcee stomped her pede in front of him, "You might be surprised." she growled.

_**"Or not." **_the Rider replied with disinterest. He cared little for fighting with Arcee. She had spilled no blood of the innocent, so why waste his time?

Arcee blocked his path to his bike and the Rider sighed. Another whistle and the bike rolled around her, allowing him to straddle it, _**"As much fun as it would be to stick around,"**_ he started, _**"I have better things to do."**_

"I told you, you're not going anywhere." Arcee threatened, turning her blasters on. And she thought Jack could be stubborn.

The Rider ignored her and revved his engine, starting forward… Until Arcee opened fire on him. A shot hit him in the back and made him swerve for a moment. He twisted on his front tire and his empty eye sockets glared at her.

_**"That…was a mistake." **_he hissed.

Arcee readied her weapons. The Rider let out a crazed roar and ripped the chain off his chest. He whipped it around his bike and shot forward towards her. The engine roared and the chain lit on fire.

With one well placed whip, the Rider wrapped the chain around her midsection, burning the metal there. Arcee yelped in pain and grabbed at the chain, only to hiss as her servo's were burned.

The Rider circled around her and yanked at the chain, knocking Arcee faceplate first onto the ground. She was dragged a good hundred feet or so forward, before she hit a tree. She grabbed onto the tree with all her might. While she couldn't beat the Rider in strength, the past few seconds taught her that, the sudden stop caught him off guard.

His bike went speeding off into the forest, and the Rider hit the ground with a loud crash and a flare of fire. His chain loosened around Arcee's waist, the fiery pain evaporating. She let out a pained growl and pulled herself up the tree.

Clutching at her wound, Arcee looked at the Rider, who was getting back to her feet. He yanked his chain back, and the metal links wrapped themselves around his torso. He glare at Arcee rather angrily, his fire taking a deeper shade of red.

Fire flared in his skeletal hands _**"You want to rumble!? Let's rumble!" **_he bellowed.

Arcee readied herself for what she was sure would be the fight of her life…when sunlight streamed past her and hit the Rider. He covered his eye sockets and let out a frustrated growl. Falling to his knees, the fire faded away, along with his leather jacket, boots, chain, and grey jeans.

Jack was in his place, skin and all. But no fire.

He sat like that for a few moments, breathing heavily while trying to regain control of his senses. He'd turned back to his human form twice now…and was starting to realize that doing so was exhausting.

Not that that stayed in his focus. He looked up at a cautious Arcee and grimaced, "S-sorry about that Arcee…I-I tried to…I mean I really…" he wasn't sure what to say. He'd attacked Arcee, and despite his efforts, had failed to assume any control over the Rider.

Arcee waved it off, straightening up, "We got you back to normal, didn't we?" she looked over her shoulder at the rising sun.

Jack followed her gaze and a thought occurred to him, "Sunlight…"

Jack got to his feet, ignoring the trembling of his legs for the moment while Arcee looked at him confused, "Sunlight." he repeated, "When I tried changing earlier, I had been standing in sunlight. I think the Rider can only be released when sunlight isn't present."

"Well I think that's a plus." Arcee admitted, "I don't think I want to go up against him again anytime soon."

She looked at how tired Jack was, "You alright?" she asked him.

Jack rubbed his arm and nodded, "I'm fine," he assured her, "What about you?"

Arcee rubbed at her midsection, "I'm fine," she replied before looking at the hole Airachnid had made. In all the confusion she'd nearly forgotten about the spider.

"So much for closure." she muttered.

Jack followed her gaze "Now she's stuck here on Earth." he realized, "I'm not sure that's a good thing." the Rider seemed to disagree.

Arcee looked away "Sorry you had to face my demons today Jack," she apologized, before smiling "you were pretty fearless out there. Even with the Rider" she praised

"Actually I was completely terrified." he said, before adding "Mostly for you." not a complete lie.

Arcee smiled and raised a hand to her comm. "Arcee to Base, requesting a ground bridge.

Jack shot a mini fireball at one of the nearby mosquito's "Need to get my partner away from any oversized insects." she said.

Jack looked up at her with a smile "Partner huh?" he asked slyly, as the bridge opened behind them.

"Junior partner," she said "I still need to be able to pull rank on you." she turned and began to walk towards the bridge. Suddenly, Jack remembered what had happened to Arcee, and how she just bottled it up.

"Arcee," Jack called. The femme turned to him "if you ever need to just… you know talk, I'm here for you."

Arcee smiled at him "I'll keep that in mind." and promptly walked through the bridge.

Yawning, Jack followed after her into said bridge. He was exhausted. An entire night running from an insane Spider bot, changing into the Ghost Rider…he was dead tired. No pun intended.

As he walked through though…

"Arcee, what happened out there!?" Ratchet demanded.

The femme sighed, "Long story Ratchet. You and Optimus will see in my field report." she told him. The medic looked at her once before letting out an annoyed sigh and returning to his work on the terminal.

She looked down at Jack, who was yawning again. The boy looked up at her and she jerked her head up at the platform. Catching her meaning, Jack nodded and trotted up the stairs into the human area.

He jumped onto the couch while Arcee moved into the med bay. Ratchet began to examine her while Jack simply lay there, his eye lids growing heavy. He briefly heard Ratchet and Arcee talking about injuries, but paid it little mind. Jack _needed _to sleep. And go figure, tt was only a matter of seconds before he fell asleep, snoring softly.

**A/N: I think this is going to become a regular thing. Chapters with less action and plot in them will be shorter, allowing me to get the pacing done better and update more frequently. What do you guys think? You get more chapters out of it, and more time for character interactions. Good idea? Let me know in the reviews. That said, next chapter we begin to see how the Ghost Rider impacted Jasper High, and see Miko and Raf's views on the Rider. Be very afraid folks. I will try and update on Saturday, but I make no promises. Anyway, remember to review and PM me with ideas, critique or the like. I hope you guys enjoyed the story. Bye!**

**P.S. For those of you worried, the sunlight weakness is not permanent. So please, no hate mail on that.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: News

_Unknown Location, Unknown Time…_

"I really don't know if this is a good idea," the smaller figure said as he began digging the hole.

The area was still pitch black, nothing had changed that. But now equipment was scattered across the area. Books, shovels, and boxes of…something all lay about the general area. The taller figure was reading out of a book.

"It doesn't matter if you think it's a good idea or not," he replied, flipping through several pages. The book was old leather, the spine barely holding it together. It's pages were old and yellowed with age.

"The fact is that we've come to far now to go back. Now keep working." he ordered.

The smaller figure sighed, "On it."

_Jasper High, The Following Day…_

The time since Arcee and Jack returned to base had been relatively peaceful. Arcee had been repaired, passing up the scorch marks on her midsection as a near miss from Airachnid's blasters. Not that Jack knew, he had been asleep for most of the day. Being chased through the woods by a giant spider bot surprisingly tired him out.

So he actually slept until about mid afternoon. Once he woke up, Arcee had taken him back home where he learned what had happened with his mother during his absence. The bank robbery had left many cops injured, and she'd been working overtime at the hospital. It was really more of a clinic, and barely had enough room for every man there.

Jasper was a small town, a large hospital didn't really seem necessary, since Vegas wasn't too far off. And the idea of a large scale bank robbery hitting the town had simply never been considered. So of course, with such a small staff, June had been forced to work double shifts, sleeping at the hospital while working the best she could.

When Jack returned home, he found her asleep and half dead on the couch, exhausted from her busy days. Something Jack could relate to, even if the two of them were exhausted for completely different reasons.

After checking on her and the house in general, Jack returned to his studies on the Rider. The first thing he read? That the Rider could not function in daylight, that night or shadow was the only place he could function. Jack had almost fried his keyboard upon reading that. If he'd spent an extra five minutes to read up…

Anyway, moving on from there, Jack continued to read about the Rider and his abilities. One that disturbed him to no end was the Penance Stare. Apparently it allowed the Rider to force anyone to experience every wrong doing they had ever committed, and thus burned their soul. Essentially killing them.

It was a horrible twisted power, and it made Jack shudder. The idea of forcing anyone to experience all the pain they had caused someone… It was disturbing.

There was one other detail as well that he found interesting. The Rider could only be summoned by his host, _or _when the wicked are nearby. Basically, if a criminal was nearby, the Rider would want to take control and punish them. He made a mental note to avoid the Police Station like it was infested with the plague.

The rest of the site had mostly been sightings, theories behind what the Rider had once been, and conspiracy theories. Oh, and of course a video of him stopping the bank heist. Go figure.

But with his research done, Jack had finished a bit of homework bugging him, ate a quick dinner, showered, and then went to sleep again. His sleep had been untroubled of course, except for a vision. A vision he had received of two faceless and shadowy figures working in the night in the middle of nowhere.

Jack wasn't sure where it had come from, if it was just a weird dream, or the Rider trying to tell him something. All he knew for sure is that they were working on some kind of ceremony. And from the looks of it, it wasn't a good one either, if one of them was having second thoughts.

Pulling into the high school parking lot though, Jack quickly realized that thinking about the Rider wasn't doing him any favors. He was tense, a little twitchy, and quick to irritate. Something Arcee noticed rather quickly.

"Jack, you alright?" she asked as the duo pulled up in front of the school. Of course, not having a first period, Jack didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him talk to his bike.

He sighed and let go of her handlebars, straightening up, "Yeah, just… I did more research on the Rider yesterday. It's all I've been thinking about lately." not that no one could blame him. Turn into a flaming bike skeleton and you'd be thinking about that a lot too.

Arcee flicked a mirror up at him, "Worried you'll go Rider in the school?" she asked.

Jack shuddered, he'd hate to have to explain that to the principal. Or his mother.

"No, that's not it." he explained, "It's just… realizing this thing is a part of me now… It kinda scares me. What if I change into the Rider, and he takes full control?" it was a silly worry, maybe, but a legitimate one.

Arcee had seen firsthand how powerful the Rider was. He could toss Cybertronians around like they were nothing, and his fire was hot enough to burn their mesh. Jack had every right to be worried.

However, he couldn't worry about it twenty four seven. After all, he did still have a life to live. And if he focused on the Rider too much… That might consume him instead. Something she wouldn't let happen as long as he was her partner.

"Jack, listen." Arcee started, "You are stronger then you give yourself credit for. You managed to outrun and outwit Airachnid without the Rider for most of the night. You've helped the Autobots so many times, that it's not even funny. It might be tough now, but you are more than capable of controlling the Rider."

That got a small smile out of Jack. Arcee seemed pretty good at helping him out of a funk. First when he'd tried cutting himself off from the Autobots, then when he'd been stuck as the Rider, and at that moment.

"But," she added, "Thinking about it all the time can't be good for you either. So stop focusing on the Rider, and at least for today focus on just being Jack." Arcee ordered.

Jack nodded and pulled his helmet off, "Thanks Cee." he said, and patted her gas tank, "I'll give it a shot."

If Arcee had a head at the moment, she'd have nodded too. Instead she just grunted while Jack hopped off, "I'll be back to pick you up. And remember-"

"Don't think about the Rider, I know," Jack chuckled, "See you after school Arcee," he waved.

"See you then Jack," and she backed out before taking off out of the parking lot. Sadie materialized over her as she drove, and she quickly vanished.

Arcee gone, Jack looked at the school and flung his backpack over his shoulder, _'Arcee's right'_ he thought,_ 'I need to just focus on getting living my life. The Rider's apart of my life, but thinking about that all the time won't fix anything.'_

Having decided on that, Jack started up the stairs and opened the school doors. The school was an indoor school, with tan walls, white linoleum floors, and bright fluorescent lights. Blue lockers lined the walls, and students busily passed from locker to locker, class to class. A few students were gathered in large groups, the clique's so to speak.

Jack, belonging to no such group, made his way down the hall. Oddly enough, he heard no rumors of the race with Vince like he had the first time. In fact he didn't hear a lot of talking over all. Well no, the hall was filled with deafening noise. But the noise made it impossible to pick out any one conversation.

The only thing he picked up on was that Vince and his dad had upped and vanished after their little race on friday. No one knew where they went, though some think that Vergil had finally snapped and left Vince to fend for himself.

Jack paid little attention to it though. Vince had made his stance on their former friendship very clear. Jack saw no reason to pursue a friendship that clearly was dead. So he decided to move on and focus more on the task at hand.

Getting through the day with the Rider stuck in him. No more no less. If he could survive today, he could survive every day. He shifted through his locker for the proper books and headed to Math class. First class of the day, and it was sure to get his mind off of…that other guy.

The math class was nearly identical to every class in school. Rows of desks sat in front of a white board (Who used chalk boards anymore?), and the teachers desk sat in front of said white board. Several students were scattered about the class, and Jack walked over to his seat near the front of the class.

Setting his backpack down, he relaxed in his chair. The time between school starting and class starting was his favorite time. It gave him time to just think, something he of course loved to do. Like in the forest, only now without the threat of a psychotic and insane spider trying to track him down.

His thinking didn't last long though, as a word he was trying to not think about suddenly passed through the air, "The Ghost Rider."

Jack immediately perked up and looked to see Sierra and her friend talking. They couldn't be talking about _him, _could they? He looked away and listened to their conversation.

"At least, that's what everyone is calling the guy," Sierra said, "Still, pretty cool that we have our own Superhero in Jasper. I mean New York's got the Avenger's, Spiderman, the Fantastic Four. **(A/N: No these heroes will not be appearing. Keep your pants on.) **It's about time we got our own hero."

"I don't know," her friend, Jenifer if he was remembering correctly, replied, "I don't think Superheroes vomit molten lead on criminals," she reasoned.

Jack raised a brow, "I did what?" he whispered to himself. Sure he remembered a lot of the night, but not all of it…

"They weren't criminals, Jen." Sierra argued, "They were murderer's. My uncle nearly died because of them. They would have spent life in prison anyway. Might as well just shorten the sentence."

"Sierra!" her friend sounded horrified.

"Well it's true!" Sierra protested.

Before her friend could respond, the bell rang and the teacher walked in. Sierra and Jenifer exchanged looks that said, 'this isn't over'. Jack decided he didn't want to be there when they resumed their conversation. Or around anyone really.

If Sierra and her friend were talking about the Rider… Who else was?

_Later…_

The cafeteria was a large outdoor courtyard in the back of the school, with large tables for multiple students to sit and eat at. A lunch line was built into the school, and provided everyone with their favorite school food…grool.

Jack looked at the quivering mass of white on his tray and felt a little queasy. The thing didn't seem solid… But it sure as hell wasn't a liquid either. Even the Rider seemed to be disgusted by it. The bottle of water that came with it was more appetizing then the food was. And Jack hated bottled water.

_'Having second thoughts about possessing a teen now?' _Jack sneered at the Rider. Surprisingly enough, he got no response. Obviously.

As he walked away, he heard a familiar voice call him over, "Jack! Dude over here!" Miko yelled, waving her arm enthusiastically.

Shrugging, Jack walked on over to the table and took a seat across from her and next to Raf. Of course, Raf was the only one smart enough to bring his own lunch…again.

"You know, I always wonder why you bring your own lunch," Jack commented. He poked the grool on his plate, and it started jiggling, "Then I remember what they serve here." he muttered.

Raf looked rather sheepish at that, "Mom likes to pack our lunches for everyone. Doesn't trust us or anyone else to feed us."

Miko laughed, "Dude, that's just sad!"

Jack looked at Miko, "Yeah, but he's got real food. Look what we've got." he pointed a spork at the mass… which slid away from it slightly.

Miko and Jacks eyes went wide, and they promptly shoved their trays to the side. Suddenly… They weren't that hungry anymore.

Though Jack was still thirsty. He grabbed his water bottle and popped the cap, "So, Raf. How'd your math test go?" he asked, trying to start small talk.

Raf shrugged, "I think I did okay. Not sure I did great though."

"Wha!?" Miko gasped, "The great Rafael Esquivel didn't do great on a math test? Oh the horror!" she put her hand to her head and acted as though she were about to faint.

Jack ignored the girls melodramatics, "Why is that?"

Raf sighed, "My dad's been working day and night to try and find that 'Ghost Rider' vigilante." Jack winced, he should have known his demonic friend would get brought up. Raf's dad was the sheriff after all, and had even declared on live TV that he would hunt the Rider down. Talk about awkward.

"A-any lu-luck?" he stuttered. For once Jack's ability to stutter at times worked to his advantage.

"None," Raf sighed again, "And it's getting on dad's nerves. He doesn't like vigilantes."

Miko suddenly squealed as she realized what they were talking about, "Oh my god oh my god oh my god!" she shrieked, "You're talking about Ghost Rider!?"

Jack sighed and started drinking from his water. Definitely should have seen this coming.

"Yeah," Raf admitted, "my dad's going nuts trying to track him down."

"Dude! GR is awesome!" Miko declared, "I mean, he's not only bad aft, the embodiment of heavy metal, _and _a superhero, but his voice is sooo hot!"

Jack choked on his water and spilled it down the front of his shirt. He started coughing and hacking while pounding at his chest and giving Miko a look, "I-I'm sorry" he coughed again, "What'd you say!?"

Miko shrugged, oblivious to his reaction, "He's got a hot voice. Really cool." she explained whilst sighing wistfully.

"Miko!" Jack yelled.

"What!?"

"He's a skeleton that's been lit on fire _and _he's a vigilante!" Jack reminded her. Raf nodded in agreement with his friend.

"So? That just adds to the hotness factor. Literally." she sighed again dreamily.

Jack shuddered and the Rider cackled madly in his mind. Good god this couldn't be happening.

"Besides," Miko set her eyes on Raf, "He's a Superhero, not a vigilante."

Raf rubbed his sleeve over his glasses, "He killed five people without due process Miko. That's a vigilante."

"They were bank robbers _and _murderer's!" Miko reminded him, "They killed three cops!"

"Just because they did that, doesn't give him the right to kill them." Raf shot back.

Jack rubbed his temples and nodded, "It is why we have a justice system." he mumbled. The Rider flared angrily inside his skull. Jack flipped him the bird mentally.

"Yeah, because the justice works _so _well." Miko sneered. Raf glared at her, and the girl returned his glare. Jack watched the two for a brief moment and was more than aware of how much this was his fault. Seems he was fixing all kinds of mistakes today.

He sighed, "Know what? Why don't we change the subject? You know, before we make this personal?"

The two glared at each other for a few more seconds before sighing and looking away from each other, "Fine." they both declared in unison.

Jack rubbed his temples. This was going to be a sore subject for them, he could already tell.

"So Jack, I heard you went on your first scouting mission yesterday," Raf said, just as willing to change the subject.

A shiver ran down his spine at the mention of it, "I…kinda." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Dude! You what!?" Miko demanded, "I want everything, every detail, how many cons, how big, what'd you find…" she continued to rattle off a series of questions.

Jack slammed his head on the table while she did this. So much for a nice easy day at school. He should have known better than that. With his friends, such a thing was impossible…

_Later that Day…_

Jack decided as he exited the school that if being a celebrity was bad, then being the host for a celebrity was even worse. Bad enough when people want to talk about you. At least then they'll be nice to your face. But when they don't realize you and the person they are talking about are one in the same…

Needless to say, Jack had heard many things about the Rider from everyone at school that day. Some were flattering things about him being a hero, some were depressing rants about him being a psychotic vigilante (Not very far off), and then the weird ones like Miko who were actually attracted to him.

That just confused Jack to high hell. How could anyone be attracted to a _skeleton _biker that was on _fire_! It was as if the internet had somehow leaked into the real world. That was just as terrifying to Jack as being possessed by the Rider. Maybe even more so.

At least that day was over though, and Jack could move on from it. He hopped down the stairs of the school and saw Arcee through the crowd of people, sitting in the parking lot as usual. Thank god.

He walked on over to her and hopped on, pulling his helmet on. The two began backing out of their parking spot, "So," Arcee started quietly, "How'd it go?"

A heavy sigh was the only answer she got. They turned around and drove out of the parking lot. Her mirrors flicked to look at him, "That bad huh?" she asked.

Jack hung his head as they drove through Jasper, "Oh you have no idea," he groaned, "Being the host to a celebrity…it sucks." he felt a hint of amusement from the Rider and shoved him into the corner of his mind.

"Well can't exactly say I know how you feel," Arcee admitted, "But I can say that this whole thing should blow over soon enough right? I mean, exactly what is the purpose of the…Devil… giving you the Rider?"

The teen looked around rather nervously, making Arcee suddenly feel suspicious, "Jack." she warned. Him beating around the bush was not something she was going to deal with.

"He…wants me to kill the Decepticons…"

Arcee swerved suddenly, almost into oncoming traffic, making Jack yelp, "What!?" she yelled.

"I'm just repeating what he said!" Jack said quickly, "That when the cons are all either dead or off Earth, he'll give me my soul back and take away the Rider! Honest."

Arcee flicked her mirror's to look at Jack, "Jack, the war's been running for thousands of years. Ghost Rider or not, how can you possibly end it any faster?" she asked.

Jack sighed and the duo began speeding towards the large mesa that was Autobot HQ, "I don't know Arcee," he admitted.

Arcee sighed in response. The doors to the base rumbled open and they roared in. Bulkhead and Bee followed close behind them into base, "We'll talk more about this later." she promised.

"Okay…" Jack stood up off her once she rolled to a stop. The femme and company transformed, after letting their charges out of course.

They walked forward two steps before Ratchet suddenly appeared, "Not another step closer!" he ordered.

The three paused, confused looks plastered on their faceplates, "Ugh…why?" Bulkhead asked, scratching his helm.

"Because, you'll get infected!" Ratchet hissed, looking over at the med bay.

"Infected?" Miko questioned. The bots exchanged worried looks. Jack didn't like those looks, or the fact that Ratchet was acting like there was a disease on the loose. Not like bots had diseases, right?

Raf stepped forward, "Doesn't that normally involve a virus?" he asked.

Ratchet spared another nervous look at the med bay, "Yes, exactly. And Optimus has been infected with the most deadly virus ever seen on Cybertron."

Arcee and the other's optics went wide.

"Cybonic Plague."

**A/N: Another short chapter, I know. But there is a method to my madness I swear! Next chapter, oh you guys are in for a TREAT! Five words. Ghost. Rider. on. the. Nemesis. I will just let that awesome image sink in. Ideas for what comes next, question on how it comes about? Let me know in the reviews or PM. OR if you want me to update another story, let me know and give me a VERY good reason why I should. But if not, just review with critique please. Let me know what I ballsed up on so I can improve. Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Joy Ride

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack had no idea what the pit the Cybonic plague was, or why it seemed to be a title infused with malevolence. But just judging by the reactions of the Autobots, he knew it had to be bad. Very, very bad. He'd only seen them react like this on a few occasions, Megatron's attempt to resurrect an army of the undead chief among them.

But now they seemed more…worried then afraid or shocked. Still not a good sign.

Miko looked at her guardian confused, then at Ratchet, "Ugh, can someone explain what psionic plague is?" she asked.

Ratchet sighed and walked away, motioning for the others to follow him into the med bay. Jack and the others walked up the stairs overlooking the med bay, and saw Optimus. From what he saw, the Prime was not in great condition.

His faceplate was covered in a sickly orange powder that resembled rust, while lines of violet traced out from his optic. Said optic flickered weakly, like a dying light bulb. Optimus breathed weakly on the berth, as if he were incredibly ill. Suddenly Jack realized that _this _was Cybonic plague…

"Whoa…" Miko breathed when she saw him, "What the pit happened?"

The other Autobots maintained a safe distance from Optimus, minus Ratchet. The medic was attending to the Primes needs the best he could, though he never made physical contact with him.

"Cybonic Plague." he explained, "It's only contagious if contact is made with the infected Energon."

The kids exchanged looks. There was an actual virus that could affect Cybertronians? They knew they were living robots, but the idea that something like a cold could affect them seemed…incredible, and far-fetched.

"Optimus was infected on an abandoned Autobot vessel." Ratchet continued. A panel on his arm slid open and he examined the Primes stats.

"What was a plague doing on an Autobot Spaceship?" Raf asked.

"Passengers were likely infected," Arcee reasoned, looking at Optimus with worry.

Ratchet nodded, "It was. The virus wiped out _millions _on Cybertron during the Great War. I had thought to see the last of it on Cybertron."

The medic bowed his helm "Never before had I wished so much that I was wrong."

Jack could understand the medics worry, but he had to know, "Where did this come from? I mean on Earth we have the Black plague," the Rider shifted inside him as if remembering a happy memory…much to his disgust.

"But how does a virus develop for Cybertronians?" Jack finished.

"Cybonic plague was engineered in the Decepticon biological warfare program," Ratchet growled. His servos gripped the table tightly, "By Megatron himself."

Jack winced as the Rider did more than shift. He nearly ignited himself at the mention of king con. The being he was essentially ordered to go after and punish. Even if though he was dead, apparently the Rider didn't believe Jacks memories.

_'Stubborn, aren't you?' _Jack growled at his resident. The Rider ignored him.

Raf looked at Optimus worriedly, "You…have a cure…right?" he asked.

There was a soft moan from Optimus. The three looked at the once might Prime as he turned his helm weakly towards them. His optics held a look of pain, agony…and…defeat as he looked at them. A look that Optimus never should have worn.

His chassis creaked as he spoke, "…No…cure…" he moaned, his voice a harsh and weak whisper of its once grand strength.

The kids gulped and the Autobots bowed their heads.

"Optimus, please." Ratchet pleaded, taking a rare softer tone with his old friend, "Save your strength."

The Primes head rolled back as he let out a pained sigh. Silence engulfed the base for a moment as this realization hit. Optimus was going to die. Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, last of the Primes, and in Jacks opinion, a good friend, was going to die. Not in glorious battle, with a flare of light so bright that it would be remembered for all time… But on a medical berth, defeated by a cold…

Jack tightened his hands around the rail. A small trail of steam drifted from his hands. Such injustice deserved to be… He shook of his rage and cooled himself off as an idea entered his head.

"Would Megatron create a virus without having a cure?" he suggested.

All eyes and optics turned to him. Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously, "You know… What if _he _caught it by accident?"

"It's not like we can ask Megatron, Jack." Bulkhead sighed, shaking his head, "He's busy pushin' up lugnuts."

That put a damper on their plans, much to Jacks frustration.

"But…" Ratchet interrupted. The teen looked at the medic, "We _might _be able to access the Decepticon database… For the moment, we still have a fix on their warship's location!" he nearly ran out of the med bay, the others following.

"Wait, when did we get a hold of their location!?" Arcee demanded. Bee whirred in agreement. Knowing something like that might have been good to know ahead of time!

"Their shielding has failed to work properly," Ratchet explained, "We detected them at the same time as the plague ship. We wanted to investigate a ship full of possible Autobots, and…you saw how that turned out…" he looked sadly at the med bay, before returning his attention to his terminal.

"And if we can sneak aboard…" Arcee started.

Bee whirred something and Raf translated, "Then you can hack the Decepticon database…"

"And find a cure!" Miko finished.

Bulkhead laughed, "Ratchet, you're a genius!" he praised.

The medic smirked while he worked, "I am glad someone appreciates my work."

He rested a servo on the lever for the bridge and looked at the remaining Autobots, "Bulkhead, remain here. This is an infiltration mission, and your rather impressive mass will attract attention."

The wrecker shrugged, "I can deal with that." he admitted. He might be stubborn at times, but even he knew when he wasn't fit for a certain scenario.

Ratchet looked at Arcee, and the femme nodded, moving to the bridge. Bee followed, making her stop and turn to look at him.

"I can't persuade you to stay, can I?" she sighed.

The yellow and black scout shook his helm, making 'Cee smile, "Alright Bumblebee, come with."

The scout beeped happily, while Ratchet pulled down on the lever, opening a bridge into the Nemesis. Jack stiffened as the Rider went _wild!_ There was so much sin, so much pure malevolence emanating from that portal that Jack nearly changed on the spot.

Only through sheer force of will did he manage to _not _change, though he could feel the Rider taking control of his body. Each muscle seized, his teeth clenched tightly, and thin lines of smoke rose from his hands. No one noticed as he started down the stairs. They were too focused on the bridge.

Jack wanted to warn them or do _something _to keep himself under control, but the Rider was dominating him. It was as if he were trapped in a room with a single window he could see out of. Except he was trapped in his mind and seeing what the Rider saw, unable to say or do anything.

All he could do was curse the Rider as he used his body to stiffly make his way towards the bridge. The swirling vortex grew closer and closer, until it towered over him. The Rider turned Jacks head behind him to see the others still talking for a few more seconds. All the time the Rider would need.

Turning back into the vortex, the Rider made him run forward into the bridge. The base faded behind him, and they entered the area between the exit and entrance. For a brief moment, perhaps due to his inexperience with bridge technology, the Rider faltered. It was only a brief second, but that was enough time for Jack.

He seized control and the two beings fell to their knees in the bridge, "No!" he growled as the Rider seized control of his left arm and began dragging them forward.

Jack used his right arm to stop them for a moment, "We are not going in there!" he commanded. He felt the flesh on the right side of his face start to burn and crackle. The Rider was taking control again.

The Rider spoke through him, _"The wicked must be punished." _he stated, seizing control of his right arm and dragging them forward again.

"This isn't our fight! There's more at stake!" Jack protested, his voice crackled and hissed. The burning sensation traveled down his neck and Jack saw ash piling on the floor. His hands were cracking like charcoal. They smoldered and flames flickered along their edges.

_"You will not stop me, boy." _the Rider insisted, and seized control of his legs. The Rider pushed them back to their feet and started forward.

Jack fought him every step of the way, "No! We won't! I…" his voice started to strain and crack, "Won't…let…" his throat went dry and his right eye suddenly went blind. A sizzling sound could be heard and his scalp heated up.

Crackling sound from below him. Jack looked down to see fire flickering up his feet, replacing his clothes with the Riders, _"You won't stop me boy. So just suck it up."_

And to emphasize it, fire engulfed Jacks body. His skin fried and blew away in the vortex of the bridge. His skull caught ablaze, his clothes burned away revealing the Riders now standard attire. The flesh on his hands collapsed into dust, and the skeletal appendages suddenly lit afire. The flames licked hungrily at the air, while the Rider cracked his knuckles.

He cracked his neck from side to side while rolling his shoulders. Jack hammered against the wall erected between them. But it was no use. He might as well have been assaulting an iron curtain for all the good he was doing. The Rider had too much control over him, was too powerful.

All Jack could do was watch as the Rider continued through the bridge and exited into a hallway aboard the Nemesis. Memories of the dark ship passed through his mind, and to no surprise not much had changed since his last visit.

Towering halls, rising well over forty or even fifty feet overhead with bright fluorescent lights illuminating the dark purple hallways with an eerie glow. Every thirty feet or so, a series of buttresses held up the walls, which slanted inwards instead of rising straight up.

The Rider took all this in and chuckled _**"Nice place…" **_he rasped, and then looked back at the bridge, rubbing his skeletal chin.

_**"Well can't have those two trying to ruin my fun, now can I?" **_he wondered aloud.

Jack pounded against the mental barrier _"If you so much as-"_

_**"I don't have time to hurt them." **_the Rider said nonchalantly, and snapped his skeletal fingers. Fire engulfed the edges of the bridge and the vortex screamed in protest, sparks flying from its maw.

The Rider smirked, _**"Just giving them a change of scenery." **_and the whirlpool swirled shut.

_"Where did you send them!?" _Jack demanded.

The Rider looked down one of the halls, _**"Somewhere else on this ship. Now shut it." **_He whipped his hand out, and fire streaked from his fingers, coiling into fiery links. The links hissed and burned before solidifying into gleaming chrome links. With a flick of his hand, the chain swung around his waist and wrapped itself tight.

He raised a bony hand, and a fiery portal opened in front of him. His shining bike rose from the portal, levitating above the ground before it swirled shut. The bike fell to the ground and bounced once before its tires ignited.

Cracking his knuckles, the Rider walked over to the bike and straddled it, _**"I've got work to do." **_ he declared, and revved his engine. The bike reared back onto its stern tire and the hellfire wheel squealed against the metal floor.

The Rider grabbed his chain and whipped it through the air, cackling like a madman before the tire caught. He streaked forward like a shooting star, fire crackling through the air…

_Elsewhere Aboard the Bridge…_

Arcee and Bumblebee rolled out of the bridge, blasters armed and ready. They both scanned the area to see there were no cons there, much to their relief. Only a door to one side, and a hall to the other. They shifted their blasters away for the moment and turned around to see a terminal resting next to the door.

Arcee raised an optic ridge and approached it while Bee looked around worriedly, "You ok?" she asked before stopping at the terminal. Her slender servos danced over the keys.

Bee shifted his blasters back out _"I'm fine 'Cee." _he insisted.

He scanned the area while she worked, _"I…I just think I heard something…" _

Arcee perked up for a moment then shook her head, "I don't hear anything…" she said, servos flying.

Bee shrugged, _"So where too first Arcee?"_

An image popped up on the terminal, a blueprint of the ship, "Nothing here, but let's check the lab. Its two doors that way." she pointed at the doorway.

Bee nodded and the two made their way slowly down the hall. They stopped at each corridor, peaking over the edges and scanning them for Vehicons. Seeing nothing, it wasn't long before the duo found the lab.

Arcee scowled at the sight of it. It was…relatively clean all things considered, if one ignored the number of very sharp tools lined against the wall opposite the terminals. She'd seen her share of Decepticon labs. This one was no different, dark, dreary, and sickening.

But she wasn't here to admire the scenery.

Quickly Arcee made her way over to the nearest terminal and swiftly hacked the system, "I'm in." she announced, scanning the streams of data, for something…anything at all…

_Nemesis Bridge…_

The bridge of the Nemesis was wide and evenly spread, with a large clear central area, and several terminals manned by Vehicons lining the walls. The front half of the bridge dipped into a large bowl, and a large bridge extended out from the rear of the bridge towards the view screens.

The view screens could display anything the commander wished, whenever he wished. But at the moment, they were bare and empty, only showing the cold vastness of space, eclipsed by the large blue marble that was Earth.

And standing on the platform, his talons crossed behind his back, and wings held high was Commander Starscream. Second in Command of the Decepticons, and now the supposed ruler of the Decepticons. Were it not for one tiny detail.

Megatron was still alive.

Sure, the mech was technically in a permanent coma with no guarantee to awaken from his dream… But as long as he lived the slender seekers position would always be in doubt. Something he refused to allow.

But killing Megatron in his endless sleep would…not end well. His communications advisor, that blasted Soundwave would likely kill Starscream himself if the con ever found out what he had done.

"So many possible ways it could go wrong…" he mused, "Were it not for…" he trailed off, a scary grin splitting his smooth silver faceplate.

The medical officer Knockout and Starscream had an interesting arrangement. Knockout would make a case on why Megatron should be offlined, and when that was done, Soundwaves loyalty, and by extension the troops, would be his!

One of the terminals suddenly beeped and the Vehicon turned to Starscream, "Lord Starscream," it started.

The commander sighed, "Yes, what is it?" he rasped.

The Vehicon looked back at its terminal, "We've detected fluctuating levels of heat in the lower deck near engineering. We believe there may be an issue with the Energon piping."

Starscream sighed, "Then send another repair team to deal with it! It's bad enough you idiots have yet to repair the shielding aboard the ship; I will not have us sustain damage from a faulty Energon line!"

The Vehicon bowed and turned to its terminal, dispatching a repair team. Starscream sighed and ran his talons over his faceplate. As if the shielding wasn't a big enough issue, now he had this issue to deal with. One would think a crew of Vehicon drones would be able to handle something as simple as running a warship. Apparently even _that _was too complicated for their programming.

"Utter incompetence…" he growled to himself.

_Engineering Deck…_

_**"Ugh…" **_the Rider growled to himself, _**"Should have found a map." **_much as he hated to admit it… he was lost. Every hall looked the same, and at this point he was pretty sure he was stuck in an endless cycle of circles.

Jack sighed in his skull, _"Serves you right for possessing me like that." _he muttered.

_**"Get over it." **_the Rider said dismissively.

_"Screw you." _Jack growled.

The Rider ignored the comment and roared through the halls, fire trailing behind him. Even if he was lost, all he needed to do was find a halfwit that worked on this ship and figure out where to go from there. And there in which lay the problem. The entire area seemed uninhabited for some bizarre reason.

Maybe the crew was focused elsewhere, or busy on a mission, but either way… The Rider was getting bored. And when the Rider got bored…

His tires screeched against the metal floor and he skid to a stop in front of what looked like a door. The Rider chuckled _**"It's about damn time I ran into something that gave me an idea of where I was." **_He had actually seen no doors his entire time exploring the damn area. So he had made _some _progress, regardless of how little it seemed.

He shrugged and pulled his chain off his chest, letting its links clink and slither across the floor. He whipped it and fire spread across the links, and then whirled it overhead. Then, he flung it forward, the chain rolling forth like a great wave of fire. Its edge cut into the Cybertronian steel and slowly bit through it.

The Rider clenched his bare teeth and the fire on the chain intensified until it was white hot. The door sparked and sizzled, liquid metal popping as it dripped down the edge of the door. Slowly, very slowly the chain cut through the door.

Finally, the Rider yanked on his chain and the door came crashing down… And three Vehicons stood there, looking dumbstruck. If the large purple cons had mouths, they'd have likely been on the floor. After all, it wasn't every day you saw a human that was on fire and managed to cut through the door.

The Rider whipped his chain back behind his bike and revved the engine, _**"About time…" **_he muttered, and rocketed forward.

The first Vehicon had no time to react, still trying to figure out what was going on. Pity for him, as he soon found a chain wrapped around his neck and dragging him to the ground. It didn't stop there though, as the Vehicon was dragged behind the Rider, who drove under the next Vehicon. The two comrades collided into each other and hit the ground with earth shaking crashes.

The remaining Vehicon sent a brief message to the bridge requesting backup…but that's all he got before his head was sent flying by the Riders chain. It's body went limp and fell forward into the ground.

The Rider stopped at the edge of its stumpy neck, a skeletal grin on his face. The body was technically dead now, and even then he wasn't sure the creatures were sentient…

Stepping off his bike, the Rider approached the offline con and shoved his fist into its nerve port. Fire spiraled down the nerve chord and out over the cons body, making it shudder and contort on the ground.

The two other Vehicons, one now lacking a means of speaking, managed to get to their feet in time to see a rather terrifying sight. Their comrades headless body pushed itself up, fire gushing from the stump of its neck. Its entire body was laced with fire and continuously twitched and randomly contorted as its body began to change.

Fire twisted around and burrowed itself into the Vehicons body. It's armor boiled and sizzle, morphing into something new. The wheels on its shoulders ignited into hellfire, a large spike sprouting from their hubcaps. Its entire body turned coal black, with chrome highlighting its servos and joints.

Said servos sharpened even further, their knuckles and the top of its hands growing large silver spikes along their edges. Spikes began sprouting from its elbows and knees, while a silvery liquid gushed from where its head once was. It trailed down into the center of the chest and the Decepticon symbol turned from violet to chrome while the chrome chest plate blackened.

The upper half of the symbol ballooned outward and the lower half shrank inwards. In a matter of moments, the symbol was replaced with a skull insignia on its chest, while the rest of the liquid metal started rising up.

The nerve chord was rebuilt and the chrome metal assembled itself atop the device that resembled a spine. Swirling up, the metal formed into a lower jaw first, then an upper jaw, before finally forming into a giant metal skull, engulfed in fire.

Its eye sockets ignited in fire, blazing angrily while the Ghost Vehicon flexed its newly formed body. The two Vehicons readied their blasters while looking at themselves nervously.

The Rider grinned from within the new skull, _**"Oh this will be fun…" **_he rasped. Liquid metal dripped from the Rider-con's servos, slowly increasing in intensity until it was a stream of liquid metal gushing forth. Fire wrapped around the metal, and reshaped it into shining links that gleamed in the light.

The Rider gripped his new larger chains and whipped them behind him. Their burning edges cut through the buttresses of the corridor, and smoke began to fill the hallway. His skeletal face twisted into a large grin.

And then…Chaos…

_Nemesis Lab…_

Arcee slammed her servos onto the terminal with frustration. For the past ten minutes she had scanned through every file she could find that might have pertained to the Cybonic plague and found _nothing_! Only brief references to it, but nothing on a cure.

_"How's it going Arcee?" _Bee asked.

Arcee sighed, "If it's here, I don't see it…" she muttered.

_"Are you _certain_ Arcee?" _Ratchet's voice crackled over their comm.

Arcee scowled, "I searched every file," she insisted, "Nothing."

While she and Ratchet talked, Bumblebee began poking around the lab for anything physical that might have been useful to them. He had found nothing yet, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.

_'Well search again!' _Ratchet snapped _'_Clearly _you missed something!'_

She sneered at the comm. and Bee backed away from her, "I scanned the entire database!" she hissed.

_"Ratchet, I wouldn't tick her off." _Bee warned, examining a wall. His optics narrowed as he examined it, before realizing it wasn't a wall but a door!

He pressed his servo to the panel and the door slid open. The scouts optics went wide when he saw what was inside.

_'Did you use a redundant quantum algorithm?' _Ratchet demanded.

"Don't tell me how to research!" Arcee snapped, "You think you're the only one who cares about Optimus!?"

Bee tapped Arcee on the shoulder, "WHAT!?" she demanded. One could almost see the steam rising off her helm.

The scout backed away a little, _"Arcee…you need to see this…" _he told her, pointing at the door urgently.

The femme looked from him to the door and sighed, storming over only to freeze at the threshold.

_'What is it!? What's going on!?' _he demanded while Arcee remained frozen.

She looked over the small med bay. A small storage alcove to the right, a terminal to the left, and dead center in the middle of the room, covered in dozens of tubes connected to his battered body, was Megatron…

"It's Megatron…" she reported," He's alive…"

_'WHAT!?' _she heard several of the others at base scream over the comm.

_'That is _not _possible!' _Ratchet roared.

Arcee started forward, glaring at the warlord. This mech had stolen her home from her, killed countless friends, stole Bumblebee's voice, and nearly destroyed her adopted home. All for the sake of power.

There were no words for the level of hate, level of loathing she felt towards this being resting on the examination table. None at all.

"I'm staring right at him…" she growled.

Her servo shifted into a blaster that she pointed at the center tube. The large tube rose from his spark and was likely the only thing keeping him alive. If the gentle pulsing beep of the terminal was anything to go by…

"Good news is…Megatron isn't exactly staring back… He's critical, hooked up to life support."

She leveled her blaster at the tube, getting closer to it and wrapping a free servo around it, _'Wait!' _Ratchet yelled, making her nearly flinch, _'Don't!'_

The femme narrowed her optics and her grip tightened, "One good reason. Quickly."

_'…Megatron might be Optimus' only chance of survival…' _Ratchet sounded disgusted by the words, regardless of their truth.

Arcee didn't move, "What are you talking about?" she hissed.

_'Does he display brainwave activity?' _Ratchet asked. Her optics flicked to the terminal screen and she scowled.

"Spiking hard…his sick mind still at work." she sneered.

_'Perfect!' _Ratchet exclaimed. Both Bee and Arcee exchanged confused looks, _'If a cure exists, Megatron may be the only one who knows it. You must enter his brain and find it…'_

"Enter his brain!?" Arcee screeched, "Ratchet, are you out of your fragging mind!?"

Ratchet quickly explained, _'The Decepticon laboratory should contain all the equipment you need for a Cortical Psychic Patch.' _

"NO WAY!" Arcee balked. She had experienced the patch before, and still had nightmares about when Shockwave went rooting around her processor. She didn't want to get anywhere near Megatron's sick processor.

"Have you ever even _performed _the procedure!?" she demanded.

_'No…'_ Ratchet admitted, _'But I have thoroughly studied the theoretical literature…Invented by Decepticons…outlawed by Autobots…'_

"Whoa…can't we just haul Megatron through the ground bridge, buy us some time to figure this out?" she begged. She really didn't want to do this.

_'Time is one thing Optimus does not have!' _Ratchet bellowed, reaching a level of anger she'd never seen from the medic before _'One of you _must _try this! I will _not _allow Optimus to pass knowing that Megatron will outlive him!'_

Arcee spared a glance at Megatron's body, "Ratchet…I would lay my life down for Optimus anytime, anywhere…" she said shakily, "But a mind body split…"

_"I'll do it." _Bee interrupted.

She twisted to look at him amazed, "You will?" Bee had lost his voice to Megatron, experienced the most physical pain at the warlords servos…but he was willing to do this to save Optimus…

_'Are…are you sure Bumblebee?' _Raf asked over the comm. He sounded very worried and on the verge of tears.

The scout nodded while Bulkhead reassured Raf, _'Bee's the best scout there is…'_

_'Alright…' _Ratchet sighed, _'Here's what you'll need…'_

_Elsewhere aboard the Nemesis…_

The hall was a flaming wreck.

The walls were scorched, melted, and littered with the bodies of dead Vehicons. Over two dozen of the drones had been sent at the Rider. Not one had managed to hurt him, even with their superior numbers.

His power, enhanced by the drones own power source, allowed his hellfire to easily burn through their metal chassis. Sure without it he could still damage them, but that required a buildup of power that he did not have time for. With this though, the Vehicons were falling in droves.

At the moment he was engaging the last two of a new wave that had been sent at him. Their blaster bolts were easily deflected by his chains, colliding with the walls in showers of sparks while the Rider approached them.

He whipped the first chain out, and felt the satisfying clunk as it tore through the Vehicons chest plate. Ripping it back, the Rider punched the drone in the faceplate, shattering its metal head into chunks of metal that partially melted onto his servo.

Not even paying the now dead drone a second look, the Rider sprinted towards the last one, ducking under its blast and slashing up with his servos. The metal sheared upwards and split open, letting its spark explode outwards before collapsing backwards in a heap of metal.

The Rider cracked his metal neck and turned towards the lesser of half of the decimated corridor, ready to continue onwards with his goal.

_**"I honestly had expected more." **_he admitted, and whipped his chains up. They wrapped around his fore arms and flames flickered on their edge but for the moment remained fairly tame.

The Rider walked on with his chains in place, the metal flaming skull glimmering in the light of the halls. He stepped into an intersection of the halls and heard the sound of heavy metal feet on the metal floor.

The Rider barely had time to turn in the direction of the sound before a large blue mech slammed into him, barreling down the hall. The blow stunned him for a moment, long enough for the Rider to be slammed into a wall, the chassis of his body cracking under the blow.

The blue figure stepped back and the Rider slid down, shaking his large head. He looked up to see that it was the Decepticon heavy, Breakdown, that had attacked him. The Rider smirked and slowly pulled himself up.

_**"I was wondering when I'd get a real challenge." **_he chuckled.

Breakdown shifted his servos into massive hammers and slammed them together. A resounding _clang_ echoed through the halls of the ship while Breakdown sneered at him.

"I don't know what the pit you are, but my order's where pretty clear." a cannon unfolded on his shoulder, "I'm supposed to offline you."

The Riders chains slid down off his hands. He whipped his arms into an x shape, allowing them to cut across Breakdown from both sides. To the Riders surprise, he managed to catch the burning metal links, letting them tie around the handle of his hammers.

"I'm made of sterner stuff then the drones." he declared, and yanked the Rider forward.

As Breakdowns hammer collided with his metal skull, he couldn't help but think how happy he was to _finally _have a challenge…

_Nemesis Lab…_

After about another ten minutes of searching and working, Arcee had the equipment for the patch hooked up to the base of the warlords helm, and made her way back to Bumblebee. He gave her a thumbs up, a gesture he'd picked up from Raf.

The ship shuddered as she made her way over, but she paid it no mind. Engine problems most likely.

She knelt next to Bee in the alcove, and moved a few small medical crates she'd found in front of them to better hide them from any visitors.

"Ratchet…" she put a servo to her comm. "We're ready."

_'Initiate Cortical Psychic Patch.' _Ratchet ordered.

Arcee nodded and took the cylinder attached to a long cable, and attached it to the base of Bee's helm. His optics went wide as his vision suddenly was filled with pixels and static. He experienced a brief sensation of falling, and then jerked to a stop.

His vision cleared and Bee felt his body regain its mass. He blinked a few times and looked around to see massive steel spires rising into the air. Fire burned around him, and a hellish red glow covered the area. Bee gulped when he realized where he was.

He was in a war zone.

He was in Kaon…

**A/N: So yeah…Cliffhanger! HA! But think of it like this guys… The epic lead in to a massive fiery climax of biblical proportions! Well…actually… You see, I am actually considering getting back to work on AToA, you know, finally ending THAT cliffhanger. But I leave it to you guys. Do you want this, AToA, or Dark of the Night, another cliffhanger, to be worked on next? A headsup, after whichever story I update next, I will **_**finish**_** Dark of the Night. Just a warning. Also, I do apologize for the incredibly late update, but school test came up, and I was just busy in general. Might be next week too, so I apologize in advance. Anyway, let me know which story you want updated in the reviews or PM me about it. Or you know, just review for the sake of reviewing. That works too. Hope you liked the story, bye!**


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